Repose
by anabeav87
Summary: Bonnie and Damon story of them in the alternate world after season 5. Just my take on what I think should have happened. Bamon will definitely be endgame!
1. Chapter 1

So don't be alarmed or upset that I am putting up a new story when I still have two stories still in progress. I am still working on both and am halfway through the next chapter of Falling Down the Rabbit Hole though I am having trouble with that story. If anyone has any helpful suggestions please pass them along. I am of course also working on Not About Angels but I have clear direction with that story. As for my one shot Another Love I know a lot of people have expressed an interest in me continuing the story but to be honest it was only meant to be a one shot. I knew that I was going to have Bonnie save herself in Not about Angels and I simply wanted to do a quick story of how I would want Damon to save her so unfortunately I think that's it for that story. Thank you though to everyone who loved it and wanted more…what a compliment. And a special thank you to a certain reader who stood up for me against a rather nasty Delena fan. Thank you for caring. All I will say about that is if you don't like the ship don't read the fanfiction. Ok so this story is clearly my take on the other side. I started writing it right after the finale of season 5 as you'll clearly be able to tell. Elena never erased her memories and Stefan never left. And obviously they don't go to the same place as they did in the show. I understand if people don't like my take on what I think should have happened but I do hope you guys at least give it a chance. I posted two chapters just to get the story rolling. Please let me know what you guys think!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries, its characters, or its storyline. That all belongs to the CW.

Chapter 1

Damon's eyes popped open. He was met with darkness and a stale smell. His hands automatically shot out to assess his bearings. He hit wood and after more inspection he realized he was in a box. He was in a make-shift coffin. He took a deep breath to calm himself before punching a hole into the middle of the coffin. Dirt poured in…he was buried alive. The thought only slowed him down for a second and then he was digging his way through the mountain of dirt to freedom. Soon after he was dragging his body out of his grave and dropping down on the moist ground. He had barely breathed a sigh of relief before he heard screaming and his name being repeated over and over.

"Bonnie?!" He screamed her name and rushed over to the grave beside his and began frantically digging to get her out. He could hear the fear and panic in her voice and he was terrified she would suffocate before he could get her out. "Bonnie? Calm down and listen to me." He waited until she quieted down before continuing. "Do you still have your magic?" There was a beat and then she responded. "Yes. I think so." He breathed a sigh of relief. "Blast a hole through the wood! It'll make it easier to get to you." He could hear her heartbeat slowing down so she had to hurry. He didn't think he would get to her in time if she didn't help him. The next thing he knew most of the dirt was blasted away from the hole and most of the top of the coffin. He crawled back to the hole and removed the rest of the dirt that was in his way and then dragged her out. She was unconscious but alive. He brushed the hair from her forehead and rested his forehead against hers. After reassuring himself that she would be fine he lifted her and made his way to his brother…he didn't know how he knew where to go, he just knew.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

The house was on secluded land at the end of a tree lined driveway. It was big and white with a huge porch. He knew that it had five bedrooms and 3 and ½ bathrooms. He knew it had gleaming hardwood floors and high ceilings and a back yard that seemed to stretch forever. Damon knew all this because he owned this house. His brother must have moved there with Caroline and Elena once they realized they couldn't enter Mystic Falls again and they must have brought his and Bonnie's bodies with them and buried them close. It hadn't taken long to get to the house even without having fed so he knew they hadn't been buried too far away. He stood on the porch and listened for sounds within. He couldn't hear heartbeats but he heard voices. He tried the knob and discovered it was locked. Bonnie still wasn't awake and the fear for her life had started to take over so instead of knocking he kicked the door open…it hit the wall violently and stunned everyone standing in the living room. Three heads whipped around and looked at him in shock, horror, and elation. He didn't even take the time to acknowledge them; he just walked in and headed straight to the nearest couch to lie Bonnie down. He sat beside her and tore into his wrist and pushed it against Bonnie's mouth. She probably didn't need it but he knew it would make her wake up sooner and he would finally feel okay. He decided it was finally time to acknowledge the three shocked people staring holes into his back. He turned to Stefan and lifted an eyebrow in elegance and smugness before saying, "Do you think you could get me some blood, brother. I'm rather parched."

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

After a long hot shower, Bonnie sat on the couch wrapped in a white, silk robe clutching a glass of water while everyone stared at her…well her and Damon who was positioned in front of the fireplace drinking a mixture of AB negative and honey whiskey. She could tell that everyone wanted to ask a million questions but didn't know how to start so she figured she should begin. She took another sip of water to calm herself and then pushed on.

"So how long have we been…?" She cleared her throat and searched for the right word. "Gone?"

Stefan immediately spoke up. "About half a year..."

She let out an audible gasp and looked up at Damon who only lifted an eyebrow and pursed his lips. Stefan took notice of this. "Did it seem shorter to you two?"

Damon turned his back on everyone and stared into the fire. "Not shorter..."

Caroline, who was seated very closely to Stefan on another couch, finally came out of her trance and spoke up. "How long did it feel to you guys?"

She just put her head down. She didn't want to answer and assumed that Damon would just answer for both of them but he continued to stare into the fire and ignore everyone. Everyone was looking between them with perplexed looks. Elena who had been pacing the living room trying to calm down said, "Guys how long were you gone?"

Damon let out a huff and replied. "Probably around six years."

"Six years?" Caroline, who was clearly shocked, asked.

The left side of Damon's mouth lifted in a cocky grin. "Give or take a year."

Bonnie could see the wheels turning in their heads and she honestly didn't want to answer any more of their questions.

"Um guys do you think I could have something to eat? I'm kind of starving."

"Of course, Bon!" Caroline jumped up. "We'll, ahhh, we'll go out and get you something, ok?"

"Yeah that's fine. Thanks"

Stefan and Caroline started making their way to the front door but Elena continued to stand there staring at Damon who seemed completely oblivious. Stefan cleared his throat loudly to get her attention. "Elena why don't you ride with us and let them get used to being back?" She looked conflicted. She obviously wanted to speak to Damon but so far he had barely spared her a look. She finally gave up, hunched her shoulders, and made her way out of the house. As soon as the front door closed behind them both Bonnie and Damon let out a sigh of relief.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

Caroline had barely made it to the car when she realized she had left her phone inside. "Stefan? I think I left my phone inside. I'm going to run and get it."

"Caroline I have mine. Come on."

"Stefan…" She stood there tapping her foot until he relented and she sped to the door at which point she realized it wasn't completely closed. She stepped through quietly, not wanting to scare Damon and Bonnie. It was dark in the foray and neither the old vampire nor the witch noticed her standing in the shadows. Instead of making her presence known she watched as Damon slowly walked to Bonnie, removed the glass from her hands and placed it on the coffee table, before dropping to his knees then placing his head in her lap and wrapping his arms around the back of her legs. Bonnie immediately put her hands on top of his head, tangling her fingers in the thickness and letting out a contented sigh. Caroline froze with her mouth hanging open. She resembled a marble statue…moving had become impossible. She heard Bonnie sniff and realized that she was crying. Bonnie then spoke and Caroline barely stopped her body from jumping.

"I don't want to be back here Damon."

He lifted his head from her lap and his eyes, which were full of unshed tears, met hers. "I don't want to be here either baby."

"I know they meant well and I know we should be grateful but I was happy. Here…I'm not happy."

He stood and made his way to the bar to pour himself more whiskey. "Maybe we can find a way to be happy here." He turned back to her with his eyebrow quirked waiting for her to respond.

Bonnie stood and began to pace. She suddenly stopped and whipped around to Damon. "How? We can't be together here Damon. Elena is still obviously in love with you."

"So…"

"So? So…that means that telling her that her boyfriend and best friend fell in love and lived together in wedded bliss for years isn't really a possibility. And," She stopped and put her head down. She was reluctant to say the next statement. "Let's be honest now that we're back you'll probably go back to her so there's really no point in saying anything."

Damon sped in front of her and lifted her chin. "Bonnie Bennett Salvatore, I love you. I finally found my soul mate after almost 200 years…I'm not going anywhere." She looked up at him with adoring tear filled eyes and he leaned down and kissed her softly.

She pulled away reluctantly. "So what do we do?" He placed his hands on her arms and started rubbing up and down trying to soothe her.

"How about we stay here for a few months and let them have that time with us. We owe them that. And then after maybe six months at most we pack and just go."

"Go where?"

"Anywhere you want. I have a beautiful apartment in the heart of Paris. We can go there."

A smile broke across Bonnie's face and she nodded her head in agreement. Then she became solemn before delivering the blow. "But we can't tell them we're together until we're about to leave." She continued before he could say anything. "I don't want to hurt them Damon and if we tell them about us it will destroy Elena and Jeremy. Let's just keep it to ourselves. Ok?"

"And what do I tell Elena when she tells me she wants me back?"

"Tell her you're still figuring out things and a relationship isn't what you need right now. I'll tell Jeremy the same thing if he tries."

Before Damon could say anything the door flung open making both of them jump and making Caroline scream. Bonnie and Damon turned from Stefan standing in the doorway to Caroline. Both now knew she had heard their conversation and they were more than a little scared of what would happen. But all Caroline did, after she composed herself, was smile at Stefan and say, "I couldn't find it. Let's go!" She grabbed a perplexed Stefan and pulled him out of the house at warp speed.

Bonnie turned from the doorway to Damon and said with complete conviction, "Don't worry…she won't say anything." She knew if there was anyone she could count on it was Caroline.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDB

_Bonnie looked back at the bathroom door to confirm that it was closed before she took a calming breath and looked down at the pregnancy test. The word PREGNANT glowed back at her like a neon sign. A smile broke across her face and she instantly cupped her tiny belly that now held the precious miracle that she and Damon had made. She couldn't wait to tell him. He was going to be so excited! _

Bonnie woke with a start and looked frantically around the room taking in her surroundings. She let out a defeated sigh as she realized that they were back in the real Mystic Falls and that she and Damon would never create that little life. She then glanced at her left hand and cupped it with her right before whispering '_Return what once was lost.' _She removed her right hand and stared at her cushion cut wedding ring. For once since she got back she felt a little more leveled. Sitting up, she threw the blankets off of her before tip toeing to Damon's room. In the hallway she looked around to ensure that no one was around before she lightly tapped on his door.

"Come in."

She opened the door and slipped in. She turned back to the door and locked it before calling out to Damon in the dark room. She saw his shadow stand up from the chair in front of the fireplace and whispered under her breath turning on the lights in the room.

"What are you doing in the dark?"

"Just thinking….."

"Yeah? About what?"

He turned to her slowly with his eyebrow and the corner of his mouth both kicked up to one side. "What do you think?"

She smiled sweetly and put her head down. "Do you think I can sleep in here tonight?"

"I don't know. Won't that seem a little suspicious to everyone we're keeping in the dark?"

"Damon…"

"I don't want to fight Bonnie but the fact that you're ok with keeping our relationship from everyone bothers the fuck out of me."

"I'm not ok with it. I love you Damon and I want everyone to know but we literally just got back. Maybe we should let them at least adjust to that before we spring this on them too."

He stared at her for a full minute before climbing in bed and lifting the covers for her to climb in beside him. She didn't even think about it. She immediately shut off the lights, spelled the room from prying ears, and snuggled in closely beside her husband.

Bonnie laid her head on his chest and his fingers instantly made their way into her hair. "Do you remember the first time we shared a bed, Bon Bon?"

She chuckled deeply. "Yes I do. I was appalled and you were confused."

"I was turned on…not confused."

She slapped his chest and laughed. "No you were not! We woke up in another world in bed with each other in a time where we hated each other's guts…you were confused."

"Ok…I was confused and turned on. Do you remember what I said to you after you calmed down?"

"Yeah. You said 'Hey it could be worst…we could be spooning ugly people."

"And I still stand by that!"

She snuggled into him more and breathed in his spicy scent. "I wish we could go back…."

"Me too, little bird. Me too."

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

_6 months prior/6 years prior_

A phone was ringing incessantly and it seemed as if it would never stop. Bonnie didn't even open her eyes. Her hand shot out from underneath her blanket and grabbed the phone from its base on the nightstand.

"Hello?"

"Bonnie! Where are you? Elena's already here, we have movies, bridal magazines, and snacks and yet you are nowhere in sight!"

"Caroline?"

"Yes, Caroline! Who else would be calling you about best friend's day but me! Where are you? Wait…are you still in bed?"

"Possibly….." Bonnie finally opened her eyes and stared at the big bay window with its sheer curtains. The sun was bright and her room was warm and she felt content but also confused. The last thing she remembered before waking up was holding hands with Damon and the light engulfing them as the other side imploded. How was she alive right now and why was she in her bedroom at her dad's home?

"Bonnie? Bonnie are you still there?!"

"Yeah. Sorry Caroline. Why am I coming over, again?"

"Best friend's day! You know spending time together sans boyfriends? No Stefan, no Tyler, no Damon. Just us! So peel Damon off of you, cause I know he's the reason you're still in bed, and get over here!"

Bonnie shot up in bed. "Wait, what?!"

"I said get out of bed and get over here before Elena and I come drag you out!" Caroline disconnected the call and Bonnie stared down at in shock but before she could put together what Caroline had said she heard a deep groan from beside her. She froze and slowly looked over and was met with the most startlingly blue eyes she had ever seen.

"Damon?!"

He shoved his hand through his hair and looked around repeatedly. "What the hell is going on?"

"Why are you in my bed?"

"Hmmm Bonnie, well the answer to that would be…I have no idea! The last thing I remember is a bright light and accepting the fact that I was about to meet my maker. I definitely didn't think I would wake up spooning you."

"Ewww, Damon, ewww!"

He sat up and shrugged his shoulder. "Hey it could be worst, we could be spooning ugly people."

Her face became tight. "Get out of my bed."

"Why do I have to? You have to go have friend time anyway so I'm just going to stay here and get a little shut eye without a judgy little witch breathing down my neck."

"Damon how many times do we have to go over this? I'm not a witch anymore."

Damon scooted up to her, slipped his arm around her waist to hold her in place, put his nose against the pulse in her neck and took a big long whiff. She immediately pushed him off and looked at him like he had lost his mind. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Just taking in the smell of old ancient magic that's lingering in your blood. You're a witch again, Bon Bon. Congrats." With that he flopped back on the bed and covered his head with a pillow.

"Damon. Damon. Damon!" She grabbed a pillow and slapped him with it on his back. He growled low in his throat and shot up. "What?!"

"Don't you think we should figure out where we are and what's going on?"

"Yes I do Bonnie. Go see your little friends and then report what you find out."

"Damon get up, get dressed, and go see Stefan or I swear to god I will light your ass on fire."

"God! Fine!" He flung the covers back and stood with no shame at all. Bonnie didn't mean to stare but there Damon was in all his natural glory and damn it, if he didn't look as if he had been carved out of marble.

He turned to her and made eye contact while tilting his head to the side. He smiled slowly and Bonnie dropped her eyes to her lap. Instead of Damon making a comment he simply chuckled and started dressing.

Bonnie finally looked up when she heard him pick up his keys. "Ok so you'll go see the girls at Caroline's and I'll go to the boarding house and see Stefan and we'll discuss what we find out tonight sometime?"

"Yeah, ok. I'll, uh, text you when I'm free."

"See you later, Bon Bon."

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

After taking a hot shower and donning a lacy loose fitting white top, a purple cardigan, dark wash skinny jeans, dangly earrings that got lost in her mass of curls, and flats (after determining that it was fall in this time) Bonnie walked downstairs and did a quick inspection. Her dad's stuff was all over the house: his shoes by the front door, his mug in the dishwasher, his coat in the closet. He was obviously still alive. And after further inspection she realized that it was 2009. She was still 17 in this world and hadn't even made it out of high school. She shook her head and locked up the house before driving over to Caroline's house, where she was sure to get real answers. She would have to be crafty about it though as to not raise suspicion.

Bonnie parked on the street in front of Caroline's and walked up to the door but paused before knocking. She had no idea what to expect. She didn't know who this Caroline was. She didn't know who this Elena was. Obviously Elena was still with Stefan and Caroline was with Tyler but were they vampires; had they gone through all the hell and destruction that the real Elena and Caroline had gone through by this age. She didn't know and she was scared to find out. She was even more terrified to learn about her pseudo relationship with Damon.

She turned around to leave but before she could step off the porch the door opened. A throat cleared and she turned around to a steamed little blond in a pale blue cotton dress, white leggings, and an equally bright white cardigan.

"And where exactly are you going Bonnie Bennett?"

"Um, nowhere. I was just thinking I should have a peace offering for being late so I was going to run to the store and get some ice cream."

"We have ice cream. Now get in here. We have planning to do!"

Bonnie walked into the house but made sure that the back of her hand came in contact with Caroline's arm. An instant feeling of cold shot through her body and she realized that even in this world Caroline was a vampire. Elena was sitting on the couch, dressed in black pants and a long sleeved red button up top, with a remote in one hand so she could select a Buffy episode and her other hand buried in a bowl of extra buttery popcorn. "Hey Bon," she said around the kernels in her mouth.

Bonnie smiled and waved before plopping down on the floor. Elena immediately held the bowl out to her and as she reached for a handful of popcorn her hand nudged Elena's but was only met with warmth. Elena was still human and was still wearing the locket that Stefan had given her.

Caroline came in and sat beside Bonnie and handed her a coke. "So was I right?"

Bonnie took a big gulp and decided to just go with the flow of conversation and hope she wasn't giving anything away. "Were you right about what?"

"About Damon?"

"Caroline, leave her alone."

"Look we made these plans two weeks ago and little miss I'm never late was late and we both know why."

Elena shook her head and finally selected an episode. "Caroline when you and Tyler got together you disappeared for a week. You didn't answer your phone or texts. And both Bon and I forgave you so let it go."

"Fine!" Caroline said but let out a huff along with it. "Are you two at least having sex now?"

"What? Who?"

"You and Damon. Look I know that you're still a virgin and that doing the deed is a big deal but you're eventually gonna have to especially with dating Damon."

Bonnie's mouth dropped open and her breathing became short and uneven. "Damon and I are not having sex….."

Elena reached out and put her hand on Bonnie's shoulder and smiled sweetly. "And that's ok Bon. You will do it when you're ready. Look just the fact that you and Damon are even giving this relationship a chance after your bad history is a big deal so it's ok to take things slow. Ok?"

Bonnie nodded but was in complete shock. Damon and she were in a relationship and everyone was just accepting it.

"You guys are ok with me and Damon being together….." She looked back and forth between her two best friends and hoped that neither would catch on that she wasn't there Bonnie.

Elena folded a chunk of her behind her ear. "I mean at first it was kind of weird. Damon kind of got your grams killed after trying to open that tomb and well you set him on fire so everyone was pretty convinced that you two would eventually kill each other but you can't help who you fall for. And you were really there for him after he found out Katherine wasn't even in the tomb…I think that helped him fall for you pretty quickly. As long as you're happy Bon, I'm happy."

"Yep! I agree. And we both know I didn't like it at first seeing all the things Damon did to me but he's apologized and since you two got together he's been making a real effort to make it up to me. He's changing and that's cause of you Bonnie." Caroline squeezed Bonnie's hand. The only thought that entered Bonnie's mind: what the actual fuck was going on!

"How about we stop talking about me and start planning….." Bonnie had no idea what they were planning but if it meant they would drop the conversation of her and Damon she was willing to play along.

Elena's face split with a wide grin and sat on the floor on the other side of Bonnie. Caroline got up and sped to her room and was back in her position on the floor in 10 seconds flat. She sat a book down in front of them and opened it slowly and Bonnie's eyes widen in surprise.

"Ok! Let's start planning Elena and Stefan's wedding!"


	2. Chapter 2

Ok so here is chapter 2! I hope you guys like it. Also good luck to all the ships (sorry…except for Delena…I feel like they've gotten plenty) tonight. I support almost all of them even though I am clearly a Bamon and Stelena girl. I know tonight is probably big for Steroline though and as a bamon shipper I know how big of a deal it is so good luck and congrats!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries. It belongs to the CW. If it belonged to me Damon's hair would be way better!

Chapter 2

Bonnie was sitting on her bed searching through her grimoire as La Vie en Rose floated from her record player. She had called her dad earlier, half expecting to meet a dead end, but he had answered in his booming low voice and informed her that he was still out of town and probably wouldn't be back until next week sometime. Since that phone call two hours ago she had been sitting on her bed, in white cotton shorts and a green t-shirt, while listening to Louis Armstrong, searching for answers in her grimoire, and waiting on Damon.

She had text him several times and even tried calling him but he had ignored all her attempts. She assumed that meant that he knew of Stefan and Elena's engagement. From what she could gather without prying too hard: everything had basically happened the same way as in her world but with some minor changes that made major differences. Her grams had still died helping the Salvatore's but instead of Damon going to Elena afterwards he had shown up at Bonnie's where they had, had a full on fight that had slowly started to change their relationship. Katherine had still changed Caroline to help her little game which eventually led to her being thrown into the tomb but she had actually helped them in exchange for protection against Klaus. She teamed up with Elijah and they had actually brought down Klaus; afterwards Katherine and Elijah disappeared together and no had heard from them since. Caroline still helped Tyler through his transformation and with the help of Bonnie he could now control the shifts and they weren't nearly as painful. Stefan and Elena had still had to go through all the same hurdles to be together but he never left with Klaus so instead of her taking that time to become closer to Damon it was used to repair her relationship with Stefan. Shortly after everything calmed down he asked her to marry him and her response was an immediate yes. The one thing she didn't have many details on was her 'relationship' with Damon. She couldn't exactly ask without raising suspicion so she was still kind of in the dark and hoped Damon could shed some light if he ever actually came back to her house, which he obviously had an invitation to.

"What are you reading?"

Bonnie's head jerked up and found Damon standing in her open doorway with a cold look in his eyes. "I, ummm, I found my gram's old grimoire under my bed, exactly where I left it, and decided to look for some answers."

"Answers to what exactly?"

"Obviously to how we got here and if there's a way out…"He just shrugged his shoulder and stared at a random spot on the opposite wall.

"What's the point?"

"The point is to get us home, Damon. What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing…nothing at all. I'm gonna head back out, see if I can meet up with Ric, and drank my insides raw. I'll see you later." He turned around to walk out but froze when Bonnie spoke.

"Is this because of Stefan and Elena's engagement?" He turned slowly back to her and just stared at her, expressionless, without uttering a word. "You know they aren't our Stefan and Elena, right? In our world Elena is clearly in love with you."

"Is she?"

"You know she is Damon. Don't let this fake world effect you…we won't be here long enough for this to matter."

He chuckled and hung his head low. "You just don't get it do you, Bon Bon?"

"Get what?"

"She will always want Stefan. In this world, in our world, she will always want Stefan. And yeah maybe she's with me in our world but only because she doesn't think the monster she is now is good enough for Stefan. I will never be the first choice in any world and I will always have to be happy with the leftovers…"

Bonnie quickly stood, anger clawing at her insides, and walked right up to Damon…chest to chest. "So I'm the leftovers now, Damon?"

"Bonnie that's not what I meant."

"Yes it is. You're basically saying you had to settle for a relationship with me because you couldn't have the fair angel Elena."

"We're not even really together Bonnie…"

"That's not the point Damon. You're sad and depressed that Elena didn't betray your brother in this world for you like she did in our world. How about being a good big brother for once in your life and being happy for your brother? And how about thinking about someone other than yourself for a change? My mother is still gone, my dad still works constantly, my grams still died for you, I'm still the magical slave of the group, and I never had a relationship with Jeremy because for some reason this Bonnie chose you! My life is still shit in this world but you're butt hurt over the fact that your brother is marrying HIS girlfriend. Grow the fuck up Damon. Get over it and help me figure out how to get back home and then you can be with Elena and Stefan can have the privilege of watching the only woman he loved fall deeper in love with his brother." With that last sentence Bonnie walked into her bathroom and slammed and locked the door before sliding down the door and burying her face in her knees. A few seconds later she heard heavy footsteps and the front door slamming.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

Once again Bonnie woke up to her phone ringing, only this time it was her cell instead of her house phone, and Elena instead of Caroline. Before answering she looked over to the other side of the bed and realized with a sigh that Damon had never come back. She covered her eyes with one arm and answered with the other.

"Hello"

"Hey Bon. You okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be? Did something happen?"

"You know you can talk to me right, Bonnie?"

"Of course I do. I just don't know what I'm supposed to be talking to you about…"

"I know you and Damon had a fight last night." Bonnie dropped her arm from her face and stared at the ceiling.

"And how do you know that?"

"I was spending the night with Stefan and we heard banging at like 2 this morning and when we went downstairs Damon was sitting in front of the fire drinking whiskey straight from the bottle. Before we could say anything Damon cut us off and said 'Bonnie and I got in a fight. We're not talking so I'm staying here tonight. And no I don't want to talk about it.' And then we wake up and he's still here, sitting in the same spot. He never moved. He's messed up Bonnie." Bonnie rolled her eyes and thought he's not upset for that reason…he's upset over Elena and Stefan not his fight with her. "Could you at least answer one of his texts?" Elena pleaded from the other end of the phone.

"What are you talking about?"

"Damon sent you a few texts and tried calling you….." Bonnie looked at her phone and noticed that she had three missed calls from Damon and texts that basically said the same thing over and over: _I'm sorry I was an ass. I'll stay with Stefan tonight and maybe we can talk tomorrow? We're all each other have in this world. Bonnie please just say something. Are you just going to ignore me? Please don't freeze me out…let's at least talk about this. _And finally the last one that came only an hour before Elena's call: _Fine. I won't bother you again. You find your back home and I'll just stay here._

"Is he still there?"

"Yeah. Still drinking and ignoring everybody. Look we leave for the mountains in like two days so you guys have got to makeup before then. Otherwise it's gonna be a very uncomfortable two weeks for everybody else."

"Huh? The mountains? Why are we going to the mountains?"

"For our trip. Our last trip all together before senior year, college, and married life. We've been planning it for months. Are you sure you're ok Bonnie?"

"Um yeah, of course. I guess I'm just messed up over this fight with Damon and not thinking clearly."

"I get that. You two have only been together a few months and you only just admitted to being in love with each other a few weeks ago so a big fight is going to scare you a little bit." Bonnie felt like she was choking to death…they had admitted to loving each other? What the hell was wrong with this world's Bonnie.

"I told you we told each other I love you?"

"Not so much told as Stefan can't really cut off his vampire hearing and heard it while you guys were talking late one night. He said he heard Damon admitting that he had never known true love until you and that you made it ok for him to be a better man and then he said he loved you and you said it back. Look I know I should have waited for you to tell me before letting you know that I knew but I think you need to be reminded that you two love each other so you can get past this fight."

Bonnie had to fight against the lump in her throat. She had to play along until she could find their way out of this strange messed up world. "It's ok. I, umm, I understand. Look I'll be over in like 30 to talk to Damon."

"Good! Do you want Stefan and me to disappear?"

Bonnie felt panic overtake her and tried to shake the feeling. Damon didn't really love her so there was nothing to be panicked over but she still didn't want to be alone with him. "No. We might end up needing a mediator so you guys stay put, ok? See you in a bit."

"Ok. Bye Bon."

"Yeah. Bye." She hung up and dropped her phone. How was she going to do this? Making up with Damon was easy enough. They had faked truces plenty of times in the past to work together but the trip was another question. That was two weeks of just them and their friends who would expect them to act like a real couple and breaking up was out of the question. It was clear that the other Bonnie and Damon were really in love with each other and a breakup would cause too many red flags but how could she fake being in love with Damon Salvatore. Running her hands through her hair and letting out a long exasperated breath she decided to deal with it later and got up to get dressed and fake makeup with Damon. She showered and left her hair down and curly, slipped on skinny jeans, black boots, and a gray sweater and drove over to the boarding house.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

Her hand had barely made contact with the door before it was wrenched open. It was her first time seeing Stefan in this world and she realized that he looked significantly different from her Stefan. This Stefan looked relaxed and seemed to be radiating from the inside. Her Stefan looked glum and tired all the time…she didn't realize how much losing Elena had affected him until she saw a Stefan that was still with Elena. It broke her heart for her Stefan and she automatically hugged him. He was clearly cut off guard but he returned her hug and chuckled while rubbing a reassuring hand down her back.

"It'll be ok Bonnie. He's upset but we both know how my brother feels about you. Your relationship will be just fine." Bonnie pulled back and wiped away a stray tear on her eyelash and laughed breathlessly and decided to play along.

"Thanks Stefan."

"You're welcome Bonnie. Come on in. He's in the living room. Elena and I will be upstairs if you need us."

"Ok." She walked past him and heard the door close, and him walk upstairs, as she made her way into the living room. Damon was still in front of the low burning fireplace and though he obviously heard her he kept his back to her.

"Damon….."

He stayed silent and continued to drink and stare into the fire. Bonnie knew they had to choose their words carefully as to not tip off Stefan and Elena. "Damon, at least look at me…"

He sat the bottle down on the end table beside him and turned to her but refused to say anything. "Can we just skip all the yelling and screaming and make up please?"

"Why Bonnie? Why should we make up? It's clear we don't work." Bonnie gave up a silent prayer that he was choosing his words carefully too.

"Look we both said some things we didn't mean last night but that doesn't mean we're done. I don't want to be done…" She said in a low whisper.

"What didn't you mean Bonnie?" Bonnie looked at him with a panicked look. She couldn't repeat what she had said but before she could make any comments he continued. "Did you mean it when you basically implied that choosing to be with me was idiotic? Did you mean it when you basically called me selfish and said I was settling for you? I'm not settling. You mean a lot to me Bonnie whether you believe that or not and as far as your choice to be with me being a bad idea I can't say I'm shocked. I always knew you would never lower yourself to be with me. I always knew I wasn't on the Bonnie Bennett level…thanks for proving it." Bonnie stared at him with her mouth half open. She could tell from his tone and his constant eye contact that everything he was saying was about their real relationship. Did that mean he had thought about her in a more intimate way and decided that it would never happen? She didn't want this fight to tear them a part…he was right, they were all each other had in this alternate world.

She walked up to him slowly and one hand clasped his and the other cupped his cheek and she decided to drop her guard and be honest with him this one time. "I know how much I mean to you Damon and I know how much you mean to me…a great deal. You're important to me even if it doesn't always seem that way. And why do you think I'm above you in some way?"

He simple lifted an eyebrow but remained silent. "Ok yes you have done some horrible things in the past and I have always come in to clean them up. That may make it look as if I'm some higher life form but I've also done some not so great things in the name of love. We are more alike than I will ever admit. You are not below me Damon Salvatore. I've seen the human inside that you like to fight and he's beautiful and worthy of love. You just need to believe that…"

He put his head down and smiled slowly. She smiled back and took his other hand. "So we're ok?"

"Yeah we're good."

"Good because I think if we didn't make up before our couple's trip, Elena and Stefan, were going to have dual heart attacks." A perplexed look came over his face and Bonnie whispered, "I'll explain later." He nodded right before Stefan and Elena came around the corner smiling and holding hands. Bonnie felt Damon stiffen beside her and she slipped her hand back into his for comfort.

"So are you guys ok now?"

"Yeah Elena we're good."

"Good!" Elena hugged Bonnie and then hugged Damon who seemed to be holding his breath. "You guys are made for each other so I don't want a stupid fight to break up my best friends." Bonnie knew that Elena calling Damon her friend broke a small piece of him because he gripped her hand tighter.

She squeezed his hand to let him know that he wasn't alone. "A little fight isn't going to break us up."

"Well now that, that's been fixed Bonnie can you come upstairs and help me pack. I haven't even started yet…don't tell Caroline. She packed for her and Tyler like a week ago."

Bonnie chuckled. "I won't as long as you don't tell her that Damon and I haven't packed yet either."

"Deal!"

Bonnie turned back to Damon and tugged on his hand until he looked away from Elena to her. "Ok. Well I'm going to go help Elena. Why don't you hang out with Stefan and decide who's driving up to the mountains because I can already tell you it won't be one of us girls."

"Alright." She very slowly lifted up on her tiptoes and pressed her warm lips to his cold cheek. She lingered until she felt his body relax into her touch. He grabbed her other hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze and she finally lowered back to the floor. Damon's fingertips swept across her cheek and they kept eye contact. From the casual observer, namely Stefan and Elena, it looked like two people in love falling even harder for each other but to Damon and Bonnie it was an understanding. An understanding that they were a team in this world and that they would protect each other and be there for each other no matter what. It was their first step towards a real friendship and both of them let a peaceful sigh when they realized that for the first time in their lives they had someone to rely on.

"Come on Bon."

"Yeah, ok. Sorry!" Bonnie stepped away and followed Elena upstairs and Stefan automatically went over to the bar and poured a glass of scotch for both of them. They sat down in their matching chairs in front of the fire and remained in a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes.

Stefan cleared his throat and Damon looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Damon I want you to know how much this trip and you saying yes to my question means to me. I know how much you had started falling for Elena and I know it was hard for you to see us work out everything but you still said yes to being my best man. I'm sure falling in love with Bonnie helped that decision but I'm still grateful. I think we can actually finally be brothers now and I'm looking forward to it and this trip. I love you Damon."

Damon stared at him for a full 20 seconds without saying anything. He could see how much their relationship meant to Stefan and how happy he was that everything had worked out in their favor. He realized that, that was all Stefan wanted (this Stefan and his Stefan), a healthy strong relationship with his brother and the girl of his dreams on his arm and that this Stefan actually got it. He hadn't actually destroyed this Stefan and he started to think that maybe this was his second chance with his brother so he simple smiled and patted Stefan on the back. "I love you too little brother. Now let's figure out who's driving before Bonnie skins me alive." Stefan just laughed and started dividing up the hours that each guy should drive.


	3. Chapter 3

FILLER CHAPTER! (in my Oprah voice) So here is chapter 3. And yes I have already started on chapter 4. I know, I know, I need to work on my other two fics but I'm so in love with this one right now that it's my main focus. I will be getting back to the other two soon. So what can I say about this chapter except for the fact that it is obviously a filler to bridge chapter 2 and 4. I actually really like this chapter because I think it kind of shows that maybe feelings were there between Bonnie and Damon before they came to this world, which honestly I've always felt was the case. I hope you guys like this! Oh and I am always open to suggestions. There are a lot of directions I can go with, with this story and I would love to hear all of your ideas. Also YAY Bonnie is coming back next week! Though can anyone believe this bullshit about her wanting to commit suicide…I swear these writers are pieces of shit! I'm just excited to have Bonnie back on my screen and eventually having Bamon in the same room again!

Disclaim: I do not own the Vampire Diaries, its characters, or plot. It belongs to the CW. If I did people wouldn't only be giving Elena verbal slaps.

Chapter 3

"Good morning."

Damon looked up from his coffee to Bonnie who stood in the doorway of the kitchen. They had spent the entire day with Elena and Stefan…watching movies, laughing and joking, and relaxing before their trip. It had been awkward and uncomfortable for Damon but he had fought to remain pleasant. Bonnie was always close to him…he wasn't sure if that was out of comfort or to simply reign him in. He and Bonnie were able to keep their touches to a minimal without the couple noticing since they were so busy with the final plans of their trip. Eventually once everyone noticed the late hour they all decided to just sleep at the manor and though Bonnie and Damon both went into his room, he slipped out a half hour later and slept in a spare bedroom.

"Morning. There's coffee if you want some."

"Thanks." She grabbed a plain dark blue mug, poured a heaping amount of steaming coffee, and added only sugar before taking a seat at the table.

"I can, ummm, I can make you breakfast if you want."

Bonnie lifted a brow in shock. "You cook?"

"I dabble."

"Which is your way of saying no…you don't."

"Look I'm trying to be nice and make up for our little tiff so what do you want?"

"Hmmm…anything?"

"Yes Bonnie, anything."

"I would like pancakes and bacon. I'll be outside. Just come get me when it's done."

"Going to play Hogwarts?"

"I'm going to go out and see how strong my magic is. I may have missed it just a little. Thanks for the breakfast!"

"Yep."

He had been alternating between cooking for Bonnie and watching her sitting Indian style with a full cyclone of wind around her and a sweet smile on her face for about 15 minutes when Elena came in the kitchen.

"Hey Damon."

He cleared his throat and tried not to stare at her. "Elena."

"Are you cooking?"

"Yeah. Bon Bon demanded."

She chuckled and grabbed a rainbow spotted mug and filled it to the brim with coffee, cream, and sugar before sitting down on the other side of the island/stove combo. "So are you excited about the trip?"

"I think Bonnie's a little more excited than I am. But I think it'll be nice to relax."

"Yeah. I definitely think we all need it." She went back to drinking her coffee as he cooked and a silence fell over them but Damon simply couldn't keep it.

"So Elena can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Did I ever explain why I went to see Bonnie after the whole Katherine not being in the tomb thing?"

"Not that I remember. I mean I never really asked. It was a pretty nasty fight and all of us just avoided the subject. "

"But she told you what happened?"

"Oh I was inside the house when it happened. You didn't know that?"

"Not I didn't. What did you hear?"

"It was probably around an hour after they took her grams and she wanted some time alone so she went outside. She was sitting on the porch swing, wrapped up in the blanket her grams died in, when you walked up. I heard footsteps so I looked through the curtains and there you were sitting with her. You must have sat beside her swinging back and forth for maybe 30 minutes before she eventually asked you what you wanted."

"And what did I say?"

Elena sat down her mug and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "You said you were sorry."

"And?"

"And that's it. Then you got up and started walking back to your car and that's what started the fight."

Damon removed the last of the bacon from the pan and gave Elena an intense look. "I need to know what happened. All of it."

"Don't you remember what happened?"

"Let's say for argument's sake I don't. What happened?"

"Well then Bonnie said: _It's so easy for you isn't it?_ And you asked what she meant and she said: _Pretending you care. But you don't really. You only care about Katherine. _You tried to tell her in a not so nice way that she didn't understand anything and that the love you had for Katherine was real and that you were hurting just as much as she was and that's why you had come to give your condolences. That's when everything went crazy. She started screaming at you that you didn't have a heart and had never been truly loved by anyone and you told her that she wasn't worthy of love and that's why everyone leaves her including her grams. By the end of the fight she broke down on the porch and was crying heavily, you were in full vampire face, and every neighbor had come out of their house. And then right before you walked away you said the thing that kind of started your love/hate relationship."

"What was that?"

"_The truth is we're both alone Bonnie."_

Damon's mind raced back and forth with the information he had just been given and he turned to look at Bonnie who was cupping her hands around a small iris that she was growing. "After that I don't think you guys were in the same room for a couple of months. I mean obviously you two worked together after that but the anger between you two kept growing. She ended up lying about the Gilbert watch to get you killed and even though we all thought she would feel bad she didn't. And you just kept trying to get her to give you another chance but she just wouldn't and then Caroline got changed and Bonnie flipped. She set you on fire and when I looked at her there was no regret…she didn't feel bad about it at all. I assumed after that, that you two would never be ok but….." She cocked her head to the side and did a cute little shrug.

"But what?"

"But then Katherine told you she didn't love you and you disappeared. Stefan freaked out and everyone tried to find you but then Caroline pointed out that we hadn't heard from Bonnie either. Stefan and I went to see her and your car was in the driveway…you had been there for a couple of days. And after you left neither one of you would talk about what happened and you still haven't but I assume that's what really started your relationship. I'm just happy that all that bad lead to something good."

Elena was smiling an earnest honest smile and Damon felt nothing but conflict...the story about this Damon and Bonnie made him want to examine their relationship more closely but at the same time he couldn't shake the love he felt for Elena. As soon as he was about to open his mouth and say something inappropriate to Elena, like how much he loved her smile, Bonnie walked back into the kitchen.

"I thought you were going to come get me?"

"Yeah sorry. I was. We were just talking."

"Yeah I bet. You know what I'm actually not that hungry. I'm going to go take a shower and then go back home and pack."

"Ok. I'll come with you."

"No need. You just come over when you feel like it." With that last comment Bonnie walked out of the kitchen leaving a confused Damon and Elena.

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"What are you doing?"

Bonnie looked up from her overstuffed suitcase to Damon who was lingering in her bedroom doorway. She immediately put her head down and started folding yet another sweater to go into her bloated bag. "Just packing."

"Yeah I did that too." He unceremoniously dropped his duffle on the bedroom floor.

"Hmmm. Why are you here? I thought you were hanging out with Elena?"

"I was but then Stefan woke up and it got kind of weird again so I left. So are we going to talk about why you stormed out like that?"

"I didn't storm out of anywhere…"

"You looked annoyed and upset and you just left and I want to know why."

"It doesn't matter Damon." She zipped up her bag and put it on the floor below the window and then went into the bathroom to pack up her toiletries. She heard him shrug out of his jacket and then he filled the bathroom doorway.

"It does matter. It mattered enough for you to leave and for you to ignore both of my texts. Why are you upset with me? Is it because of Elena?"

"Your relationship with Elena doesn't concern me Damon. It never has." She continued to put her toiletries in her bag without looking up at him though she could feel him staring at her in the mirror.

"Why do I feel like that's not true?"

"I don't know Damon. Why do you?"

"Maybe because once you realized I was having a conversation with only Elena you practically ran out of the room. Something is going on. I don't know what it is but I do know that we are supposed to be a team in this world and that means we have to be honest with each other. Now tell me what's going on." He walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him and Bonnie could feel the panic rising in her throat like bile.

She turned to him and placed her hands on her hips. "Fine. I was annoyed because I thought you had actually listened to me about being a good brother but then I walk into the kitchen and of course you're in Elena's face. You just won't change Damon and you're going to destroy this Stefan just like you destroyed the one in our world. That's it…that's why I was upset. Now will you move so I can get out of the bathroom?"

He shook his head no and walked up to her. Bonnie immediately backed into the sink and he put both of his arms on the sink on either side of her, effectively trapping her between him and the sink. He lowered his head to make eye contact with her and her breathing slowed. "I know there's more to it. What I don't get is why you feel like you have to hide it from me. I don't hide anything from you…"

She cocked her head and looked up at him from beneath her lashes. "Really? Then how about we talk about how crazy you went with bringing me back to life. And don't even try and tell me it was about Elena. She didn't even know I was dead when you made that pact with Silas. So how about you tell me why it was so important for you to bring me back and I'll tell you why I got upset earlier today….." Damon stared at her for another 10 seconds before slowly backing away, letting his back hit the opposite wall. "That's what I thought." Bonnie picked up her bag and walked out of the bathroom. She put the bag in the side compartment of her suitcase and then sat on her bed to brush out her curls before bed. Damon finally walked back into the room and sat on the opposite side of the bed.

"We should probably talk about the trip and what we're going to do about it."

Bonnie paused in brushing her hair and let the back of the brush slap the palm of her opposite hand repeatedly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that we are together here. Not just together…we're in love in this world so there are certain expectations."

Bonnie turned and gave him a puzzled look. "Expectations?"

"Seriously what happened between you and little Gilbert? Did you even have a real relationship at all? We have to act like a couple. We have to touch and hug and hold hands and most importantly we have to kiss. Real kisses not pecks. We have to look real until we figure out how to get out of here and bringing the grimoire with you on a trip isn't really a possibility so we have to pretend for the entire trip. Oh and on top of that we'll have to share a bedroom. So what are we going to do Bon Bon?"

Bonnie pushed her hands through her hair and gripped chunks of it while she tried to force air into her lungs. "I don't know…"

"Well I suggest the obvious…"

Bonnie looked at him for an answer. "We pretend to be a couple. We do sweet little touches, we hold hands, we cuddle, we kiss. We go all out and just deal with it. Yeah we aren't really in love with each other but we are attracted to each other…that's just the truth so it shouldn't be too hard."

She swung around on the bed and brought her legs up under her and looked at Damon who had turned fully to her. "You're just ok with kissing me Damon? You don't think that's going to be weird especially with Elena sitting right there?"

"I'm not with Elena…"

"That has nothing to do with it. You aren't going to feel awkward knowing you are in love with my best friend? And on top of that we are barely friends and we're just going to kiss?

"Being friends has nothing to do with this."

"I don't know Damon. I don't know if I can do this….."

"How about we just get it out of the way?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Yes you do. We should just go ahead and kiss and get it over with. That way when we have to do it tomorrow in front of everyone it won't be hard on us."

Bonnie gave a breathless little laugh and shook her head. "I can't believe I'm in this situation…"

"Well you are so let it go and let's get this over with."

"Oh what every girl wants to hear…how romantic!" Damon didn't answer her. He just stood up and held out a hand to her.

"Come here."

Bonnie breathed in deeply and got of the bed to stand in front of him. He put his hands on her arms and brushed them up and down the length to calm her down. "Stop freaking out. It's only a kiss." She nodded slowly and looked up at him but as he leaned down to place his lips on hers she jerked back. Damon let out a sigh and put his head back to stare at the ceiling in exasperation. "What would make it better Bonnie? What would help you relax?"

"It would probably make it easier the first time if I couldn't see you…"

He put his hand over his heart. "Owww Bon Bon."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. It's just weird and not seeing you the first time would make it a little easier. Please Damon…"

"Fine, fine, fine." Damon stepped away to flip the light off and then walked back to her with the help of his supernatural eyesight. He slowly slipped one arm around her waist and the other hand made its way into her hair to hold her in place. Bonnie wrapped her arms around his middle and sucked in a breath and tried to calm herself. He didn't rush it like she assumed he would. He slowly lowered his head to kiss the corner of one side of her mouth and then the other, lingering for several seconds on both spots. She relaxed into his touch and he began to massage her scalp before finally placing his soft lips on hers. The kiss was slow and sweet and only the meeting of lips at first before Bonnie's hand started to rub up and down his back and she moved further into his embrace until they were molded together. They fell deeper into the kiss and Damon's hands cupped both sides of Bonnie's face as he nudged at her lips to let him in. She didn't think about anything else other than the way he was making her feel and she opened her mouth for him. His tongue automatically delved inside and began to massage her tongue, which caused a breathless moan to escape her mouth. That seemed to break something in Damon and he began ravishing her mouth with a hunger that she didn't see coming. She didn't want it to stop even when one of his hands slipped beneath her shirt and started to knead her back but just as she was thinking that maybe this could go a little beyond kissing her cell started going off. At first they ignored but it didn't seem as if it was going to stop so Damon pulled back slowly and slapped the lights back on. They stared at each other breathing heavily but the phone was insistent and would not be ignored.

"You should get that. I'll see you in the morning. I'm going to go sleep on the couch." He walked out without a backwards glance and closed the door softly behind him.

Bonnie breathed in deeply over and over with her hand over her heart and after hopefully evening out her breath she answered the phone. "Hey, Caroline….."


	4. Chapter 4

Hello my lovelies. So I have obviously been ghost for awhile now. Sorry about that but I hate writing when I have nothing to really give. This particular chapter has been written for weeks now but I've revised it so many damn times and I still hate it. I'm putting it up though because in the last week I've gotten a private message asking for me to update and a review asking me to. Both of you know who you are and I am so, so grateful to have you as fans and readers. I am actually putting up two chapters and hope you guys don't hate them so much that you abandon the story. Just an fyi that chapter 5 is way better than chapter 4. Either way here you go!

Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries, its characters, or storylines. The only thing I own is this story and concept.

Chapter 4

Bonnie had been staring at the ceiling drawing circles on her bare stomach and listening to the gravel filled voice of Otis Redding for about an hour when her alarm started going off. She hadn't gotten much sleep last night and she knew why. After talking to Caroline about their anally planned trip for a few minutes she had slipped into bed and tried to forget the kiss between her and Damon. It didn't seem to be that easy though because the entire night she tossed and turned while thinking about why that kiss had affected her so much. He wasn't the first man she had kissed and even though she was aware of Damon's beauty she had never been able to look past his lack of soul to find him attractive but last night when his tongue was caressing the inside of her mouth and his fingertips were gliding across her back, she couldn't for the life of her remember the touch of any man's lips prior to his. She finally gave up contemplating something that wouldn't matter once they found their way home and jumped in the shower. Damon was driving up to the cabin and Stefan would be driving back…everyone decided that with Tyler's skills behind the wheel that it would be smarter if he and Caroline rode separately with all the luggage in their backseat. Bonnie and Damon had to pick up Elena and Stefan at Elena's house in 30 minutes, where Caroline and Tyler would also meet them and take everyone's luggage.

Bonnie brushed out her hair and loosely curled it. She had to admit a part of her had missed her long hair. She put on a pair of skinny jeans, a pale pink knit light weight sweater, pink flats, and plain silver studs. She walked past the living room expecting to see Damon lying on the couch but he wasn't there…it didn't even look as if he had slept there at all. He was however sitting at the island in her kitchen sipping what she suspected was blood out of her dad's favorite mug and instead of speaking to her he simply slid a to go cup with coffee in it across the island towards her.

"Thanks," she muttered.

"Sure. You done packing?"

"Yep…" She kept her head down and continued to sip her coffee.

"Bon?" He stared at her until she finally lifted her eyes to him with questions swirling in them. "It was just a kiss. We don't have to be weird or awkward about it…especially seeing it won't be the last one. Ok?"

"Yeah, sure. Did you want to put the bags in the car? We should probably get going."

He studied her face for a little while longer before silently nodding and then leaving the room to retrieve her luggage. As soon as he left the room she breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't understand why this kiss was affecting her this much. She loved Jeremy and desperately wanted to get back to him but just the idea of kissing Damon again made her face feel like it was on fire and the crevice between her legs itch and ache. She decided to chalk it up to being horny since it had been at least a month before she died that she and Jeremy had, had sex. She was just craving that again…that's all it was. And as for Damon…well she knew the kiss didn't have any lasting effects on him. He was too wrapped up in Elena to notice anyone else especially her. A loud resounding honk jerked her out of her thoughts and she jumped from her chair to grab her pea coat, phone, and keys before running out the door.

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They didn't speak on the way to Elena's. He wasn't in a bad mood but he was a bit standoffish and she couldn't really figure out why. She started thinking that Damon might be upset about something but just as she was gearing herself up to ask what was wrong they pulled up to Elena's. He got out and went up to the door and knocked but Bonnie stayed in the car, staring at the dash and drawing circles on it with her finger. She couldn't figure it out but it felt like she and Damon were a real couple and that they were having a silent fight. It was bothering her more than she wanted to admit. She finally got out when she saw Elena approaching.

"Hey Bon." Bonnie smiled and hugged her. They both heard car doors close and turned to see Tyler and Caroline getting out of her SUV.

"Hello ladies."

"Hey Care." They said at the same time.

"Hi Tyler." Bonnie said and Tyler just waved and smiled. He obviously wasn't a morning person and looked like he was barely hanging on. It was pretty obvious that Caroline would be driving most of the way so Tyler could sleep.

Before anyone could start a convo Damon stopped them. He looked at Tyler with a cold and slightly annoyed expression and Tyler instantly woke up. "Bonnie and my luggage are in my trunk and Stefan is bringing out his and Elena's right now. How about you load it all up so we can get going." Tyler was clearly about to snap at him but after Bonnie gave Caroline a look she decided to reign in Tyler with a hand on his arm and a stern look. Tyler huffed and breathed deeply to calm himself down and then started loading the bags. As soon as he was done Caroline waved goodbye and they sped off.

Stefan immediately turned to Damon. "What the hell was that Damon?"

"What?" Damon asked and nonchalantly shrugged his shoulder.

Stefan just shook his head and held the backdoor open for Elena and then climbed in after and slammed the door. Bonnie continued to stare at him and didn't even make a move to get in the car. Damon blew out a big breath and hung his head in exhaustion. "What?"

"What's going on with you Damon? You've been in a weird mood all day…"

"You really want to discuss this here?" He then leaned his head casually in the direction of the car to indicate Stefan and Elena.

Bonnie just shook her head. "Fine. It can wait but this isn't over."

"Never thought it was."

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They had been driving for more than two hours in semi silence. Elena and Stefan were wrapped up in each other. She was practically sitting in his lap, while twirling her engagement ring around her ring finger, and telling him about all the ideas she had for the wedding. Bonnie couldn't help the small smile that graced her lips as she heard Stefan hum in agreement to everything Elena said. She knew that Stefan could care less about the small details of this wedding…all he really cared about was being married to Elena. Bonnie also knew that a vampire transition was inevitable and she only hoped that Elena didn't end up the same way in this world that she did in the real Mystic Falls when she transitioned. Though she loved her Elena she also couldn't help but feel like she had changed into a completely different person and being in this alternate world had cemented that. This Elena was warm and sweet and selfless but her Elena was self absorbed and willing to do awful things in the name of love without remorse.

She decided to stop tuning in to their conversation and started messing with the radio to find something that wasn't dripping in 80's bed hair and leather. She assumed that as soon as her hand reached for the knob that Damon would slap it away but he didn't even move. She looked at him from behind her dark lenses and noticed that his face was stone still and that his hands were wrapped around the wheel so hard she was shocked it didn't snap in two. She pushed her sunglasses up until they sat on top of her head and then she slowly reached for Damon and put her hand on his thigh to get his attention. But instead of jumping in shock or ripping her hand away, he merely kept his eyes straight and shook his head 'no.' She nodded in understanding and removed her hand before putting her glasses back in place and facing the window to stare at the passing scenery.

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The drive seemed to take forever. It in fact took four hours with the occasional pause to eat and use the bathroom. Bonnie felt like the drive would never end and desperately wanted to get out of the car before Damon finally lost it and exploded. Damon felt like it took forever and couldn't wait to be away from Elena and Stefan for even just five minutes. The past four hours had hurt him more than he thought they would and could especially since he thought he had prepared himself well enough for it.

As soon as they parked the happy couple jumped out but Bonnie didn't move… she was waiting for Damon to say something…anything. He continued to sit there for several minutes, staring out of the windshield and tightening and then releasing his grip on the wheel.

"Damon…"

"I don't want to talk about it Bonnie."

"And I get that but we have to go in there now and start pretending we're in love. That's going to be kind of hard to do when you're clearly upset. So you either need to talk it out with me or you need to suck it up and start acting."

He nodded slowly but didn't meet her stare. "Kiss me."

"What?"

"Kiss me. It'll distract me and it will help me fake this pseudo relationship a lot easier."

"Damon…I don't think that's a very good idea….."

"Why not? We're going to be kissing the entire trip so why not now?"

"Because when we're doing it in front of our friends it's a part of the act to get us through this world the best way we can. Right now…in this car…it's just you and me and if we just kiss what does that say about us?"

"What did it say about us last night?"

"Damon…" She trailed off and put her head down while pulling at the fibers of her sweater. She felt a rush of wind touch her face and when she looked up his eyes were staring into hers and his lips were only a mere couple of inches from her own. His breath caressed her lips and he moved his eyes back and forth between her large, startled eyes and her pouty lips. She began to take short choppy breaths in fear and anticipation. "If it'll help, I guess one kiss wouldn't hurt…" Before she could finish her thought he placed his lips on hers. Her breath caught and her eyelids fluttered closed. He dug his fingers into her hair and slipped his tongue into her mouth gently but as soon as she opened her mouth to give him better access he seemed to snap. His hands wrapped in her hair and he yanked her head back to assault her mouth. She yelped and gripped his arms as he ripped his mouth from hers and began to kiss, lick, and suck on her neck. Bonnie was trying to hold on and let him get out his frustration and anger on her but he began to get rougher than she was used to…he had her hair wrapped around his left hand in a knot to the extent that it felt that it might rip out of her head, his right arm was wrapped around her waist and he was digging his fingers in her skin so there was sure to be a bruise, and his mouth was leaving hickeys and bruises all over her skin. She just kept breathing and holding onto his shoulders for dear life until one of his fangs scraped against her neck and she felt a dribble of blood form from the scrape.

She pushed against his chest with all her might but he still didn't stop. He pulled her closer and began licking her neck in long swipes. Then he started pulling his fangs down her neck which created shallow cuts and Bonnie couldn't take it anymore. She was sure if she didn't stop him he would rip into her throat soon. She was actually terrified of him…something that hadn't happened since he attacked her years prior in the woods.

"Damon stop…Damon, please, stop…" She pushed harder at his chest and when he still didn't pull away she placed her hand very gently on his neck and began slowly heating his skin until he screamed and jerked back so quickly that he hit his head on the driver's side window.

"I said stop!" Bonnie breathed hard and sat up quickly while trying to put her clothes back in order. She brushed her hands through her hair to calm herself and then reached slowly for her neck to see if it was still bleeding. She didn't feel anything but she was sure there were marks. She pulled down the visor and angled her head so she could get a better look. Her neck was red and bruised with droplets of crusted blood. She immediately covered it with her hair the best she could and then she checked her side to see the damage there. It too was bruised and red and was also extremely tender to the touch. Instead of freaking out she merely pulled down her sweater and fixed herself as much as possible before reaching for the handle.

She hadn't spared Damon a single look since he had jerked from her. She honestly didn't think she could look at him right now or she might do something stupid like set him on fire or burst into tears. She had honestly convinced herself that Damon wasn't the same maniac he was in the woods when he attacked her all those years ago. But he hadn't changed…he had simply learned how to assimilate. As soon as she swung the door open to make her escape, Damon's hand clamped down on her wrist. She didn't turn towards him…she couldn't.

"Let me go Damon."

"Bonnie…I'm sorry. I lost it. I was angry and frustrated and I snapped but I would never hurt you."

She whipped her head around and he felt like he was burning up from just her stare. "You did hurt me! And for what, Damon? Because you're angry over Elena? How many people have to get hurt because you and Elena can't be together? I don't know how to be around you right now because all I see is red. I thought you had changed…even a little bit. You seemed to care about more than just the woman you were obsessed with. But you're the same guy, Damon. Evil and selfish and someone that I should stay away from but I can't because I'm your girlfriend here…and I'm not willing to tip our hand to anyone until we figure out how to get back. So for the rest of the day, so I don't have to touch you, we're having a fight. If any of them ask what happened just say it was a bad fight and you don't want to talk about it until you've fixed things with me. Lie…it shouldn't be very hard for you." With that last comment she ripped her wrist from his grasp, exited the car and walked into the house.

Damon hadn't moved during her entire speech. And after she left he continued to sit there staring out of the window for at least half an hour. He hadn't meant to hurt her. Bonnie had become someone who meant a great deal to him and all he wanted to do was protect her. But like everything else in his life as soon as his hands touched it he had destroyed it…he had destroyed her. He constantly tried to keep the monster inside him at bay and though he occasionally got out, lately it had been happening less and less. His life had started changing. All of a sudden Elena wasn't the only important person in his life...he had, had actual friends before his death and one had traveled with him into purgatory. He relied on Bonnie completely and had just needed to lose himself in her…he figured that she was strong so she could take some of his weight but as soon as she had welcomed him with open arms he had become greedy. He had tried to take all she was offering and more because Bonnie was giving it to him…the monster that had destroyed her life. She wasn't Elena, who just forgave every bad thing he did. If Bonnie was willing to take some of his burden it was because she thought he was worth saving. And if Bonnie, the martyr, could see something in him that wasn't completely evil than maybe he could be better. So yes he snapped and tried to draw out every kiss and embrace he could. But he wasn't gentle…Bonnie was like the most precious glass…fragile and breakable but forged out of fire. And he was pretty sure he had just lost her.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

When he finally walked into the house both Stefan and Tyler were in front of the tv and the girls were in the kitchen making chili. He walked past the boys without saying anything and took one of the empty couches. Both Stefan and Tyler gave him pointed looks that screamed '_What the hell did you do?_' Damon just turned back to the tv and ignored them. It was going to be a very awkward night.

And it was. Dinner was worse than he thought possible. He was of course seated beside Bonnie because everyone else wanted to be beside their spouse. Conversation seemed strained and forced because everyone at the table knew that Bonnie and Damon had, had a massive fight in the car and because neither one would discuss what had happened. Damon kept receiving nasty looks from Caroline and Elena though so he guessed they had seen the bruises on Bonnie's neck. He assumed that Bonnie would be awkward but she acted like nothing had happened. She kept conversation going, laughed, joked, and completely ignored him. He didn't touch his food (the bowl of chili or the blood bag). The idea of eating wasn't very appealing…all he wanted to do was talk to Bonnie.

He slowly dropped his left arm beneath the table and placed his hand on her thigh. She instantly froze. Her face didn't change and she kept talking but he felt her tense under his touch. He needed to speak to her…now. He squeezed her thigh to get her attention but she continued to talk to Caroline. He released her thigh and then squeezed again harder…digging his fingers into the soft skin. And all of a sudden she stopped talking to Caroline in the middle of a sentence and turned slowly to Damon. When she spoke it wasn't under her breath, she didn't try and whisper it so no one would hear her; she spoke in her regular voice while keeping perfect eye contact with him.

"Take your hand off my thigh. Now."

Everyone at the table stopped talking and jerked their heads towards the couple.

He sighed heavily. "Bonnie, I said I was sorry. And I know that doesn't fix everything but if we could just go somewhere and talk…"

"What? What will that fix? I'll still be angry and you still won't be forgiven. So get your hand off my thigh and let's continue dinner."

Damon dropped his hand from her leg, got up, and walked out of the side door, slamming it behind him. The group turned from the door leading outside to Bonnie who merely shook her head no. "We're not talking about it, ok? Let's just finish eating and play monopoly or something."

Elena leaned towards Bonnie and put her hand on top of hers. "He looked pretty upset Bonnie. Maybe you should go talk to him."

"I know how he looked Elena. I don't' need advice on my boyfriend from you."

Elena's face dropped immediately and Stefan whispered _Bonnie_ under his breath to let her know she had gone too far.

"God, I'm sorry Elena. I didn't mean to snap at you. The fight was just really bad and I don't want to be anywhere near him right now."

Elena placed her hand back on Bonnie's. "It's ok. I understand. How about Clue instead of monopoly?" Elena suggested with a sweet smile on her face.

Both Bonnie and Caroline immediately said yes and then laughed.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

By the time Damon made it back to the house it was pitch black outside and every light was off in the house. It was around 4 in the morning and he was bloated on whiskey and blood. The fight with Bonnie had upset him more than he thought it could so he had basically ran away…what he always did.

He was quiet as he made his way into the house and walked straight back to the bedroom that he and Bonnie occupied. He was sure that she would have it locked or barricaded but it opened easily under his hand. It wasn't completely dark in the room. There was a low light on from a small lamp on the nightstand. And though he expected to see Bonnie's sleeping form huddled under the covers instead he saw a stone faced Bonnie in a black silk robe sitting against the headboard staring at him. He closed the door softly and leaned against it but he never broke eye contact. He heard Bonnie whisper Latin under her breath to silence the room before addressing him.

"Where have you been?"

"Out."

She put her head down in defeat. "Damon…just answer the question."

"Why? When I wanted to talk earlier you couldn't be bothered."

"I just want to make sure you didn't kill anyone while you were...out."

"Well I didn't Bonnie. Conversation over? Cause I'm gonna go take a shower." He started walking to the in suite bathroom but paused when she spoke again.

"Fine. Go Damon. Run like you always do when someone doesn't readily forgive you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that when someone actually points out your bullshit and doesn't kiss your ass then they aren't worth your time. I'm not Elena, Damon, and I refuse to just forgive you for what you did in that car." She got out of the bed and approached him…there was barely any space between their bodies. "You hurt me. You physically hurt me and I can honestly say I never expected for you do that again."

"Bonnie…I didn't mean to hurt you. I was pissed over having to be in that car with the golden couple for hours and all I saw was red. I started kissing you and the anger wasn't as deafening and I went a little too far."

"A little too far? Are you kidding me?! I have bruises. I don't care why you did it. I don't care that you are hurting and pissed. You and I can't be a team here if that's how you're going to react every time you have to witness them together. They're getting married. Get over it! Because if we don't find our way out of here, you're going to have to witness it every day. You have to change Damon. You have to mature and stop being so god damn narcissistic because the world doesn't revolve around you!"

Damon became completely still and anger warped his face until he was almost unrecognizable, but instead of screaming at her or even acknowledging what she had said he simply turned on his heel and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

Bonnie followed him and quickly entered the bathroom before closing the door behind her. Damon turned on the shower, removed his shirt, and then turned back towards Bonnie. They stared at each for several seconds before either said anything.

"You hurt me Damon."

"I know I did. And I can't take it back but it doesn't mean I don't feel bad."

"When have you ever felt bad about anything you've done?"

"You know what? I am so sick of you throwing the past in my face every time I do something you don't like. I have fucked up a lot in your life Bonnie and I'm sorry but I have changed whether you want to believe that or not. But newsflash that doesn't mean I have become a completely new person. I am still me. I still make mistakes. I still act before I think and yes I still end up hurting the people that matter to me. Stop treating me like I have to be fucking perfect!"

"I am not asking for you to be perfect Damon."

"Yes you are. You are asking what you always ask. You're asking for me to be more like you. This perfect little martyr who carries the weight of the world on her shoulders and never complains. You have lost everything but you never get upset or lash out. Good for you! But most people lose it when the world feels like it's collapsing in on them. Stop trying to force me to be you!"

"I'm not perfect Damon and I'm not asking you to be. I'm asking for you to think of others before you act."

"I get that, I do and I messed up. I was hurting and angry and the perfect Bonnie Bennett offered to carry some of my weight and I took it for granted. I took more than you were willing to offer…I'm sorry Bonnie. I need you to forgive me."

Bonnie shook her head and backed up until her back hit the door. She didn't answer him, just continued to stare at the floor. He walked up to her slowly and placed his hands on the door and then lowered his forehead to the door beside her head so when he spoke his lips brushed against her ear.

"Please Bonnie? I need us to be ok. I won't hurt you again. I won't touch you if you don't want…I just don't want you to hate me…..again."

She placed her hands on his hips and whispered back. "I don't hate you Damon. I'm just mad at you."

"But you don't forgive me?"

"I can't Damon…not right now. What you did tonight…that was borderline abuse. And I get it. You were freaking out over Elena but that's not a good enough reason. You scared me. I thought you were going to rip my throat out."

He leaned back so he could look at her but he was still only a couple of inches from her face. "I would never do that. If and when I bite you again it will be something you want and it won't hurt. I promise."

"Yeah…I don't see that happening. Look, I'm not saying that I won't forgive you but I need to see something that makes me want to. I need for you to prove to me that I can trust you. "

"Deal. I guess this means you don't want me touching you again…"

"I didn't say that. It helps us keep up this persona and to be perfectly honest I don't hate it….."

He turned his head to the side and studied her before raising his eyebrow in question. "I don't hate it either. Should we discuss what that means?"

"I'd rather not. Besides I know what it means. It means that both of us are clearly insane and obviously horny. It'll work itself out."

He backed away putting a good distance between them. "Will it?"

"Yeah it will. We'll deal as best we can, keep our hands to ourselves in private, and take care of 'things' when we become a little too anxious."

"Or…if we're here too long we can just help each other out."

Bonnie stared at him as if he had lost his mind. "And on that note I'm going to bed. And you should probably actually take that shower."

"Yeah…of course."

He reached for his belt buckle before lifting an eyebrow at Bonnie who was watching the whole display closely. He cleared his throat and she jumped. "What?"

"Are you going to watch me get undressed?"

"Of course not. Um…I'll, ummm…..goodnight. See you in the morning."

"Yeah. See you Bon Bon." She jerked the bathroom door open and tried to ignore his shit eating grin as she closed it behind her and removed her robe before climbing under the covers and exhaling slowly. She was actually nervous about what the future could hold for her and Damon. She knew that eventually she would find a way to get them out of this world but what she didn't know was how long that would take. They had only been there a week and already lines were blurring. She decided right then and there that some sort of distance would have to be put between them. She didn't want them leaning on each other completely and then regretting it. There would be no touches or kisses when they weren't in public and there would never, ever be anything more intimate than that.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

Music was pounding from somewhere. That was the first thing Damon noticed. It was 10 in the morning and he had slept hard but Nina Simone's voice was permeating his brain and forcing him to wake. He slowly opened his eyes and immediately closed them back before blinking several times to adjust to the bright light streaming from the window. He had come to bed to a sleeping Bonnie in only a white cotton nightgown that stopped mid thigh. He had thought about putting on more clothes but decided in the end that both he and Bonnie should be comfortable so he had gone to sleep in only black briefs. They had barely touched all night; each keeping a comfortable distance from each other. Several times during the night he heard Bonnie's heart speed up indicating that she was awake and purposely keeping her body on the edge of the bed to escape him. He was aware that their situation was weird and that it was made even weirder by the fact that it was the two of them stuck in this world with each other. If he had gotten stuck with Elena or Bonnie had gotten stuck with Jeremy it would have been easy but he and Bonnie had always had a strained relationship. The tension between them was thick and suffocating. He always assumed it was because they hated what the other represented but now he wasn't so sure. There had to be a reason why this world's Damon and Bonnie ended up together and he was oddly curious. And he knew he still loved Elena and wanted to get back to her desperately but there was a part of him…a small part that was grateful for this world. A part of him had always had a thing for Bonnie. She was beautiful, strong, selfless, and she demanded that he be the man that his mother wanted him to be. He had, had her two best friends easily and had known that he could but with Bonnie he had never even entertained the idea. She always seemed above him…perfection personified and now in this world he could cheat fate. He could experience being with Bonnie and it be perfectly acceptable. And though he knew it was wrong he wanted to take complete advantage of it before they made it back home to their Gilberts.

He leaned into Bonnie and wrapped his arm around her slowly as to not wake her deciding to get 30 minutes more shut eye but then a sharp knock sounded from their bedroom door. He knew just from the knock that it was Caroline and he rolled his eyes. He thought Bonnie was sleep and had been asleep this entire time until she spoke loud enough for Caroline to hear through the solid oak door.

"Yes, Caroline?"

"Are you guys getting up any time soon? We had plans to go on a hike but surprise it's snowing…hard. So we thought we would have a day in. Play games, cook any and everything, and watch Netflix all day. But we can't do that until you guys get up!"

Damon spoke up before Bonnie could say anything. "Then start without us!" Bonnie slapped his hand and chuckled.

"We'll be out soon Caroline."

"Fine. But hurry up cause Elena and I want to make cinnamon rolls from scratch."

As soon as her footsteps were far enough away from the door Bonnie turned over to look at Damon.

"Good morning."

"What are you doing Damon?"

He finally sat up, leaned his head on his open palm, and peered down at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean the cuddling….."

"I'm accepting our roles in this world." He shrugged it off but Bonnie raised an eyebrow at his nonchalance.

"Something that doesn't need to happen when we're not in public…us being this comfortable, it's a little weird."

"Only because we don't understand our relationship here."

"And we never will."

"We could…"

"What does that mean?"

"You think somehow you can pull those memories out…"

"I don't know. They aren't our memories…not exactly."

"Yeah but they do belong to our shadow selves. We have to be connected in some way. How about this…we act our part for the rest of this trip and when we get back we search for a way out. But if in a month we don't find one, we try and pull those memories out."

"I guess we can at least try it. It'll give us some answers." He nodded and exited the bed on his way to the bathroom. "Damon?"

"Yep?"

"Why do you want to even waste your time on those memories? That's magic I can be devoting to getting us home."

"I want answers. I want to know how the perfect Bonnie Bennett fell in love with a monster like me."

Bonnie just nodded but didn't reply. He walked into the bathroom and closed the door softly behind him. She dug her hands into her hair and let out a big breath before bringing her knees to her chest and lying her cheek on them. She was in way over her head and didn't know what to do. She didn't want things to progress with Damon…she was genuinely scared that they would. She wanted to keep as much distance between them as possible and get out as soon as possible but a small piece of her…a very small piece…wanted to know about the love that this Damon and Bonnie shared. To be honest, what she didn't want was for Damon to have those memories. She knew he was in love with Elena but sometimes he would look at her with longing when he believed her to be unaware. He wanted her…in a sexual way obviously but if they had those memories there was always a chance it could alter how they felt. She didn't know what to do but she figured if she could find the answers to getting out before six weeks were up she would never have to find out what those memories could do to them.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

"Morning all." Damon said as he and Bonnie walked into the kitchen. Damon walked up to Stefan who was sitting at the table reading a book and squeezed his shoulders. "Morning brother."

Stefan smiled though he was a little confused. "Morning."

Bonnie went to the counter, after telling everyone good morning, and poured herself a cup of coffee and added sugar. As she was the stirring in the sugar, Damon walked up behind her, extremely close, and reached around to pour his own coffee.

She cleared her throat. "Excuse you…"

"I'm sorry. Am I invading your space?"

She turned around in his arms before looking up at him. "Just a little bit."

Damon leaned down to her ear. "You like it."

Bonnie laughed even harder and pushed his chest to move him. "You wish!"

He smiled and moved back so she could get around him but just as she started walking past him, he grabbed her wrist and when she looked up at him he gave her a quick kiss. She was stunned and froze for a few seconds before eagerly returning the kiss and then taking a seat at the island to watch Elena and Caroline make cinnamon rolls. It was the first kiss they had shared in front of her friends and for a second she had expected for Elena to lose her mind. She had expected outraged emotions from everyone but they had simply continued on with their activities as if the kiss didn't affect them.

Caroline, however, smiled and lifted an inquisitive eyebrow. "So I'm guessing you two made up?"

Elena chuckled but continued to roll the cinnamon rolls like Caroline showed her. Damon sipped his coffee but hummed an agreement.

"Yeah…we talked it out."

"Bonnie, I'm your best friend," Elena raised an eyebrow at Caroline's comment, "you can admit to me that you two did more than 'talk."

Tyler and Stefan looked up from the table and Elena and Damon joined in the stare off of Bonnie. Bonnie in return almost choked on her coffee.

"Caroline!"

"What? Look we're all adults here. We all know that we do more than talk behind closed doors." She finished the statement with a cocky grin.

Bonnie just shook her head in denial. "No…we don't. I don't ask what everyone does behind closed doors because it's none of my business. And all we did was talk."

Caroline opened her mouth to retort but Elena elbowed her in the ribs. "Care let it go. I'm glad you two made up Bonnie."

"Yeah me too."

Tyler finally spoke for the first time since Damon and Bonnie made their way into the kitchen. "Now that we're done with the relationship talk could we eat and start this movie marathon Caroline keeps insisting on?"

Caroline immediately abandoned the conversation and slipped the cinnamon rolls in the oven. "Ok, so I was thinking an 80's slash early 90's movie marathon? I already have movies picked out so all everyone has to do is eat and enjoy." All of her friends knew it was pointless to argue with her so they all agreed and walked into the living room where she had the choices laid out on the coffee table. After a small debate they decided to start with The Breakfast Club. Each couple took a couch to cuddle on. The guys were all in sweats and t-shirts and the girls in varying versions of leggings and oversized shirts. They had blankets, overstuffed pillows, food, and a warm fire to accompany the movie.

Stefan and Elena and Caroline and Tyler cuddled underneath their blankets on their designated couches and settled in for the movie. Bonnie and Damon, however, did not. They were sitting fairly close together but they didn't exactly know how to do this whole cuddle thing. Yeah they had done it that morning but their brains had still been fuzzy with sleep. In the light of day and while fully awake, it was honestly a little different.

Damon pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over his lap before lying back against a mound of pillows. He lifted the blanket in invitation and then nudged Bonnie to get her attention. When she saw the offer she lifted an eyebrow but Damon merely nudged her once more. She slowly made her way under the blanket and tried to get comfortable but eventually Damon got tired of her fidgeting and placed her head against his chest and her arm around his waist. They didn't exactly fall into the position…instead Bonnie was clearly tense and was barely moving for fear that she would rub against some off limits area. Damon looked over at the other couples to make sure they didn't have an audience and then placed his hand beneath Bonnie's chin before lifting it.

"You want to trust me…then give me a chance to prove that you can." That was clearly his way of reassuring her that she could cuddle with him and nothing would happen that she wasn't completely comfortable with. She nodded slowly and then settled into him, letting out a little sigh when she did so. They spent the next few hours on that couch, wrapped around each other watching an endless parade of 80's films and laughing with their friends.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5! Hmmm what to say about this chapter…it is what it is! Lol! Hope you guys and gals like it. Oh yeah fingers crossed that tomorrow's episode doesn't disappoint…Ian directing, Bamon, and Caroline with a flipped off switch…I'm way too excited! :/ Ok, ok, I'm done talking. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries, its characters, or its storyline. I only own this story (and my other ones…lol) and this concept.

Oh and the latin translated is: I call upon my secrets. My desires. Do not hide any longer. We are one. Come to me. (Not very original but it gets the job done)

Chapter 5

"Couldn't sleep?"

Bonnie let out a small yelp and spun around to the entrance of the kitchen. Damon stood there in nothing but pajama bottoms and bed hair. It was three in the morning and she had tried to be super quiet when she exited the bed to get some tea. She had now been sleeping in the same bed as Damon Salvatore for a week and she knew the slightest dip of a mattress could wake him.

"Nope. Thought I'd try some sleepy-time tea. I didn't mean to wake you."

He shook his head and walked further into the kitchen before sitting down on a bar stool at the island opposite of Bonnie. "You didn't. I mean your lack of being there did but not any noise you made."

She chuckled softly. "Good."

"So why couldn't you sleep? Bad dreams?"

"Not bad but certainly not good." He lifted an eyebrow to indicate that she should continue. She sighed and then walked around the island to sit beside him. "I was dreaming about home. I miss them Damon. I know it's only been about two weeks but it feels longer."

Damon put his hand on her knee and squeezed it lightly before getting up to pour himself a drink. "Damon you know you can talk to me about them. I know you miss them too."

He gulped down some whiskey before replying. "I don't really do the sharing thing, Bonnie."

"Why? Afraid you'll appear too human?"

He turned back to her with a sharp cold smile on his face. "That would only be possible if I was actually human."

"Stefan seems plenty human…"

His face tightened and Bonnie waited for the fight to begin. When he spoke it was strained. "Yeah well I'm not my brother. I kinda failed the how to be a saint portion of the test."

Bonnie chuckled and Damon merely lifted a brow. "What's so funny about that?"

"Nothing. It's just Stefan isn't a saint so I've never understood why you thought that."

Damon made his way back to his seat beside Bonnie and sat down slowly. "Everyone else seems to think so….."

"Stefan is more level headed and soft spoken. That doesn't mean he's a saint…actually it seems to point to the fact that he's more calculated. I'd rather deal with a hot head than a strategic sociopath."

Damon's brow knitted together as he stared into the amber liquid in his glass. "Are you saying you would pick me over Stefan?"

"In this instance…yeah."

"And in other instances?"

"I'm not discussing this with you Damon…"

"Discussing what?"

"You want to know if I had a choice between a romantic relationship with you or Stefan, who I would pick?"

"Who would you pick?"

"And…I'm going to bed."

Bonnie slid off the stool and began walking out of the room but stopped at the entrance. "Damon?"

He looked up at her with a questioning look. "Yeah?"

"Maybe you should stop wondering who everyone would pick between you two and start wondering why you think Stefan is the better choice."

With that last comment she walked out of the room and Damon lowered his eyes back to the liquid swirling in his glass…that offered absolutely no answers.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

By the time he made it back to their bedroom Bonnie was already curled in a ball under the bedding and the room was pitch black. He leaned his head against the bedroom door and rubbed his hand down his face as he watched Bonnie sleeping. He began to speak, knowing that Bonnie wouldn't hear him through the haze of sleep.

"All my life, even before I was a vampire, everyone always picked Stefan. He could do any and everything. He was kind, handsome, understanding, sympathetic, intelligent and strong. My dad used to say he swore that Stefan was meant to be born first…..I always thought what he really wanted to say was that Stefan was the only one who should have been born…..that's how he treated me. My father hated me…..my entire life he hated everything about me. When he got to finally put me down I'm sure it filled him a sick sense of joy. Do you know the reason I initially fell for Katherine?" He didn't wait for her answer of course because she was still asleep. "She was the first person besides my mother to ask me my opinion. She didn't tell me what to do; she asked me what I wanted. She showed me that if I wanted something I could have it and I didn't need permission or someone's approval of my choice. And so I loved her but even she wanted Stefan. Then I met Elena and she had the face of Katherine but she seemed to actually care about me. She didn't look at me like I was some abomination that she had to fix. She accepted me but even that didn't work out right. She accepts too much. I'm dark and there is a monster in me constantly trying to get out and she knows that but she seems to be attracted more to that part than the good parts…because she doesn't think there are good parts. So in turn I constantly try day in and day out to be more like Stefan so she will believe that there is good…so she will actually love all of me. It's a battle I don't think I'll ever win. I just want someone to love me like Stefan is loved…completely." He let his shoulders drop, blew out a huff of breath, dug his hands through his hair and then walked into the bathroom, closing the door softly behind him.

Bonnie turned over slowly. She took in deep breaths and scrubbed the tears off of her face. She heard everything…..

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

Damon woke up to an empty bed. The sun was bright and the bed warm with the sweet smell of Bonnie lingering. His instant feeling was panic at the idea that she had heard him last night but he knew she had been sleep so he breathed a sigh of relief and then turned over before burying his face into Bonnie's pillow. Her scent was more spicy than sweet which was reminiscent of her personality. He smiled softly and then listened out for sounds in the house. He could hear someone moving around the kitchen and when he listened closer he recognized the soft, barely there footsteps of Bonnie Bennett. He slipped out of the bed, put on a white v-neck t-shirt, brushed his teeth and made his way to the kitchen. Bonnie was watching a rerun of Golden Girls on the small tv placed on the counter, with her hair in a high ponytail and her hip cocked out to the side in little gray shorts and a quarter inch loose fitting white t-shirt, all the while stirring a bowl of something that looked like batter.

"You're a little young to be watching this show, aren't you?" Bonnie once again jumped at the sound of Damon's voice. He chuckled and took a seat at the island.

She gave Damon a nasty look and then turned back to the tv just in time to hear Sophia call Blanche a human mattress. She laughed out loud and Damon stared at her back in slight shock. Bonnie didn't typically laugh like that and it was quite a beautiful sound. She turned back to him with bright eyes. "And what does me being young have to do with anything?"

"Well Bon Bon I don't know if someone as young as you should be listening to all this talk of sex… I mean you are innocent."

"What?! No I'm not."

He laughed and shook his head at her like she was utterly naïve. "You're seventeen again Bonnie. So technically you've never been touched by a man."

Her mouth dropped in shock. "We are done with this conversation Damon."

He put his hands out in surrender and laughed. "Fine. The subject is officially dropped…for now. So what are you doing? You got up pretty early for someone that didn't sleep well."

"I'm making chocolate chip pancakes."

"I didn't know you cooked."

"I don't…typically but everyone else has cooked during this trip so I figured it was my turn."

"Uh huh. Have you ever cooked pancakes before?"

"No...why?"

"Because the batter currently in your pan is burning."

"What?! Shit!" Bonnie grabbed the handle of the pan without thinking of its temperature and instantly dropped it back on the stove when it burnt her. She screamed and grabbed her injured hand with the other as tears sprang to her eyes. Damon sped over to her and reached for her hand before opening the freezer and pulling out an ice cube.

"Hold open your hand."

"Ok." She tried to breath past the tears.

He placed the ice against her palm and she winced while trying to pull her hand back but he held it firmly. "Trust me." She nodded and kept her hand open. He traced the burn slowly back and forth with the ice as he brushed the back of her hand with his thumb. She placed her other hand on his arm to steady herself. There wasn't much room between them as he soothed her injured hand. The air around them became thick with tension and Bonnie slowly lifted her eyes from their joined hands to his consuming eyes. They stared at each other, never breaking eye contact, as he began to rub the ice on her palm in a circular motion. The ice had begun to melt and water was dripping from their hands onto the floor but they still didn't pull away from each other or break eye contact.

"What the hell happened?"

Bonnie jerked her hand from Damon's grip before turning to Stefan and Elena who stood in the doorway wondering why Bonnie had screamed. Damon merely let her hand go. That moment was intense and he needed a second to figure it out.

"I accidently burned my hand and in turn screamed and woke everyone up. Sorry."

"Bonnie!" Elena walked swiftly to her and gently lifted her hand to inspect it. "Come on, we'll go look and see if we can find some burn ointment. Damon, could you finish the pancakes?"

Damon automatically perked up when Elena spoke to him and eagerly agreed. When Bonnie saw this she gave him a strange look he didn't understand but he didn't have time to decipher it before she was being pulled out of the kitchen by Elena.

Stefan poured himself a cup of coffee and then sat at the island as Damon continued to make pancakes after scraping the burnt batter from the pan.

"So Damon….."

He turned to Stefan with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Did you write it yet?"

"Did I write what?"

Stefan sighed and shook his head. "You promised you would take this best man status seriously…"

Damon lowered his eyes to the floor and then turned back to the pancakes so he didn't have to make eye contact with Stefan during this conversation. "I am."

"Then why haven't you written your speech?"

"The wedding isn't until the spring, Stefan." He placed finished pancakes on a nearby platter but still didn't turn back to Stefan.

"I know, I know, and I know am being overly eager but I want it all to be perfect for her Damon. I've searched my whole existence for someone like Elena and I want everything with her…including a perfect marriage. Just get Bonnie to help you. I mean she's the maid of honor so you two can write your speeches together."

"Yeah maybe we'll do that."

Stefan studied Damon's stiff back and rigid stance and decided to address the elephant in the room. "Damon?"

"Yep?"

"Could you actually look at me?"

Damon huffed and flipped the stove off after removing the last pancake before turning to face Stefan. "Ok…what's up?"

"Are you jealous…of my marrying Elena?"

Damon froze and shifted his eyes away from Stefan's face. "Of course not."

"Damon you don't have to lie to me. I know you don't feel that way about her anymore…not since you fell for Bonnie but I would still understand if it bothered you a little bit. When you first started feeling something for Elena I think we both knew what it was about…"

"What was it about it exactly?"

"Well your obsession with Katherine obviously. You met Elena and she had Katherine's face but this beautiful soul to go with it and you saw it as a do-over and she ended up picking me. That would hurt anyone so if you're still a little hurt over it, I can release you from your duties as best man and give it to Alaric."

Damon started slightly at the mention of his best friend who had never died…it was still a shock that he was alive and married to Jenna. He thought about how badly it would hurt to watch Stefan and Elena get married and then he thought about the pain on Stefan's face the many times he heard Elena tell Damon she loved him and he decided that it was time for him to grow up—as Bonnie had suggested. It was time for him to be a good big brother for the first time in his life.

"Stef I've disappointed you so many times in our lives and there are so many things I regret in our relationship. I don't want not standing beside you at your wedding to be one of those things. Losing another form of Katherine is hard but I have Bonnie now. And besides the love I wouldn't give her up…not for anything because somehow the perfect Bonnie Bennett found something redeemable in me. She's all I need."

Stefan got off his seat and walked quickly to Damon before enveloping him in a bone crushing hug. When Stefan spoke it was muffled. "You are redeemable Damon and I think Bonnie's always known that. I think I've always known that. Thanks for having my back brother."

Damon slapped Stefan on the back. "Always, brother, always."

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

Tyler was in bed already (clearly waiting for Caroline to show up naked), Stefan was in the living room reading Strindberg, and Damon was in their bedroom supposedly taking a shower, though she didn't hear any running water. Bonnie and the girls were sitting around the breakfast nook while eating cheesecake, drinking wine, and gossiping.

"I swear he's an animal. If I had, had sex with him before he became a werewolf I would have known anyway. I can barely walk after….."

"Caroline!" Elena exclaimed as Bonnie almost choked on her dessert.

"What?"

"We don't want to know what Tyler's like in bed."

"Sure you do! Just like I want to know about Stefan."

Bonnie joined Caroline in the stare down of Elena. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"What's Stefan like?"

Elena's face turned beet red and she lowered her head as she put another piece of cheesecake in her mouth. "He's um, he's good."

Caroline shook her head at her as her mouth became pinched. "No. We need more than that."

"I'm sorry Caroline. I just don't feel right telling you details…he's going to be my husband."

Bonnie took another sip from her fourth cup of wine and decided to join in on the fun. "Come on Elena. It'll be fun. We're drinking and on vacation and I need all the tips I can get for when Damon and I….." She couldn't finish the sentence because the idea of her and Damon being intimate in any way made her face hot and her heart speed.

"She's right, Elena. We should help her out. What do you want to know Bonnie?"

Bonnie thought about the question. She actually had a lot of questions. Her two best friends had both been with more than one man and knew more than she did. She had only ever been with Jeremy and even that didn't provide much help. They had only been sleeping together for a couple of months before her death and it had all been basic vanilla stuff. She had lay on her back and let him rut against her until he was done…they didn't do much else.

"Well, ummm, I'm curious about it all but I think that's something I should discuss with Damon. Right?"

Elena automatically spoke up. "Right."

"Not right! We're best friends and we are supposed to help each other out. Have you two even gone down on each other?"

Bonnie scoffed and took a large gulp of wine. "Caroline we are not talking about this."

"So…no? He hasn't even done it for you? That's something you two should rectify. I'm not saying you should jump into bed tonight but you should at least start experimenting. What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid of anything."

"Are you sure, Bonnie?" Elena asked as she placed her hand on top of Bonnie's in comfort. "I know you had a hard time when you first realized you had feelings for Damon and I know it has a lot to do with your grams and what she would think but you love him. So what's holding you back?"

"Elena's right. You two barely do more than kiss and when you do, you look so stiff. I'm not saying you don't love him. Anyone with eyes can see that you do," Bonnie's eyes widened at that statement because the Bonnie and Damon that Caroline was talking about were not the ones that fell in love with each other, "but I think you're scared."

"Scared of what exactly?"

Elena interlocked their fingers on top of the table and scooted closer to Bonnie to give her a tough love speech. "You hated Damon. You use to get so mad at me for giving him a chance because you thought he didn't deserve one. You saw him as selfish and self-absorbed and unworthy of love and then the Katherine thing happened and you saw a different side of him and it made you want to give him a chance. But I don't think you ever really moved past what he did before you loved him. I think the old Bonnie is still in there shaming you for giving Damon Salvatore a chance. And I'm sure it doesn't help that the witch in you can't accept your love for a vampire. You're scared you're going to lose yourself in loving him and you're scared that your grams would be disappointed in you for falling for someone that she would see as a monster."

Caroline came around the table and reached for her other hand. "But the thing is Bonnie, you and Damon work because you're essentially the same person." Bonnie's head jerked up and she stared at Caroline with shock in her eyes. She was nothing like Damon and she couldn't believe Caroline would ever say something like that. Maybe these sets of friends were nothing like her real ones…that was until Caroline continued her thought. "Both of have been hurt and rejected. Both of you have wanted to be loved by people who simply couldn't do it but that never changed your hearts. You two love with everything you have and you are willing to do anything for the people that matter the most to you. You are both strong, independent hero's in your own way. You and Damon—you work. I truly believe that you guys were always meant to be. So stop being scared and just jump…feet first. You won't regret it."

"Maybe you guys are right. I'm going to go for a walk and think, ok?"

"Of course, Bonnie." Elena squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"Do you want us to wait up till you get back?" Caroline asked her as Bonnie buttoned up her mustard yellow coat and put on her snowy white hat.

"No, it's fine. Go to bed. I know you want to Caroline. We both know Tyler is pacing like a caged animal waiting for you to come upstairs."

Caroline gave her a saucy smile and shrugged nonchalantly. Bonnie laughed and walked out of the kitchen door after wishing them a goodnight.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

Her black Uggs barely made a sound as she walked through the snow into the woods along the already made path. She was confused about what Caroline and Elena had said. There was no mention of something specific to their world; actually based on the information they provided nothing was different about this Damon and Bonnie. They still possessed the same personalities and had gone through the same experiences. Did that mean that it was possible that she and Damon could actually fall in love? Did it mean that they could have in their real world if they had never been with Elena and Jeremy? It wasn't like she was blind or ignorant. She knew he was attractive and that there were certainly some redeeming qualities. She was also aware that he seemed to be more intrigued by her than he should be and that even though he claimed differently he cared about her. He protected her. He saved her. He, however, would never explain why he did such things and though everyone was privy to it no one questioned him about it. She had always wanted to but to be truthful, Damon saving her was something she expected now. It had been happening for so long that there were times when she was in trouble that calmness would come over her because she knew Damon would show up and save the day.

She sat down on a bench that was put in the middle of the woods. The snow was falling steadily and created a quiet bubble for her to reflect in. She made a decision that she was sure to regret but she just wanted a simple memory from their counterparts. She knew that she had made a pact with Damon to wait a month but she was curious so she decided to pick just a simple day in their lives…nothing spectacular but one from after their relationship began. She closed her eyes and quieted her mind. She let every thought slip away from her and made up a spell on the spot. They had to be connected in some way especially because (though she had no proof) she was sure they had merged with the Damon and Bonnie from this world when they entered it, whence them being in bed together. "Invocabo secreta. Desiderium meum. Oro te ne celaveris amplius. Et nos unum sumus. Venite ad me."

When she opened her eyes she was in the boarding house. She knew this was a memory but being transported there had been one hell of a trip. She could already feel the headache blooming behind her eyes. She shook it off and followed the voices that were coming from upstairs. She walked slowly to Damon's bedroom and pushed the door open but the Damon and Bonnie in the room didn't react to her presence, confirming that this was a past event.

_Damon exited the bathroom in only black painted on jeans and a cocky grin. Bonnie was sitting on his bed reading a book and ignoring him. _

"_Are you going to ignore me for the entire night?"_

_She held up a palm to halt his speech and he instantly closed his mouth so she could finish the page she was on. When she finished she sighed and held the book, Shiver, to her chest. "Sorry I had to finish that chapter. What were you saying?"_

"_I was asking if you were going to keep ignoring me but now I think I'm going to change that to, why are you ignoring me for a book about mangy disgusting wolves?"_

"_He is not mangy or disgusting. This book is a true love story. It's about a girl who falls in love with a man who appears to be a monster but in fact has a heart made of gold. I guess you can say I relate….."_

"_Are you comparing me to a wolf? Basically a reject dog…"_

_She laughed and slid off the bed before approaching him and wrapping her arms around his waist. "That's what you got out of my statement? Not the fact that I love you…just the fact that I compared you to a wolf?"_

"_Well it was very insulting…" He pouted slightly and she giggled as she leaned up and placed her lips on his softly. When she spoke her lips were still touching his and she barely raised her voice above a whisper. _

"_What am I going to do with you Damon Salvatore?"_

_He pulled back and his mouth spread in a genuine grin. "Just love me. That's all I ask."_

_She tilted her head to side as pretended to think it over. "I guess I can do that…doesn't sound too hard."_

_He laughed deeply and swatted her bottom as he walked away. She yelped and his mouth lifted to the side in a cocky grin. "You know what else you can do?" She walked to his closet entrance and watched him as he picked out a shirt amongst the sea of black…she honestly didn't see the difference. _

"_I'm afraid to ask but what else can I do Damon?"_

_He slipped on his shirt and then turned to her with a shit eating grin. Before she even noticed that he had moved he was in front of her…only a few inches separated them. "You could give me a chance to show you what real love feels like."_

_She patted his chest and walked back to the bed before sitting down softly. "What you mean is you want to show me what making love feels like. Right?"_

_He simply lifted an eyebrow. "Damon I know that's something you want right now but I'm not ready. And I understand if it's hard for you to abstain especially with your colorful sexual past so if you want to quit this you can. We just got together so now's the time, because I honestly don't know when I'll be ready." She lowered her head and began picking at her nails. "I'm sorry."_

_He was on her in a flash. She yelped in surprise as she made room for him between her legs. He supported himself on one arm as he leaned down with the other to brush a stray curl from her face. "Bonnie I don't want anyone else. I know my track record doesn't speak too kindly of me but when I love, I love completely and I love you Bonnie Bennett. I will wait for a century if need be. When you're ready that's when it'll happen. There's no rush and there's no reason for you to be worried that I'll bolt because that will never happen. You're stuck with me little bird."_

_She smiled softly. "You know I love that nickname."_

"_I am aware." He chuckled softly and leaned down to kiss her. The kiss was warm and sweet and tasted of the sweetest fruit. He slid his hand under her shirt and placed his cool palm on her hip. She shivered as she slipped her hands into his hair and deepened the kiss. Someone from downstairs, it sounded like Elena, called up to them that they had to all leave soon. Damon groaned and placed his forehead against hers in defeat. She laughed and patted his back. "Come on, move, you mangy animal." _

_He jerked back and gave her an appalled look. She simply giggled, stood and readjusted her clothing before making her way to his door. Before she could pull it open he grabbed her other hand so she would look up to him. He leaned down and kissed her softly. "For now?"_

_She shook her head and smiled. She knew this game. "Nope. Forever."_

_They walked out of the door holding hands and yelling down to Elena and Stefan that they were coming. _

Bonnie jerked out of the memory. Her breathing was heavy, her head hurt, and her heart was pounding. She could feel the lingering touches of Damon holding her hand and kissing her lips. A tear slid down her cheek as she felt the love that, that Bonnie had in her heart for Damon. She stood slowly and walked back to the house. When she entered the bedroom, Damon was already asleep. She leaned against the door and spoke into the quiet room. "I pulled out a memory. I know we said we would wait and do it together but I got too curious. In the memory we were happy…we were perfect. I felt a love that I didn't even know could exist. I loved you Damon like Stefan has always been loved…completely." With the last comment she walked into the bathroom to take a hot shower and remove the chill from her skin. And Damon blinked into the darkness at her comment.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6…yep that happened. Um not much to say about this one. So sorry for the delay on all my stories. I'm not doing too well health wise so I pretty much work and sleep but I still love these stories so I'm going to keep updating even if people aren't interested anymore. And I completely understand if none of you are anymore…completely understandable. I am also finally working on the next chapter of Not About Angels. I know the exact ending I want but the middle ground is so crappy that I keep changing my mind. I hope that you guys like this chapter and since some of my favs asked for a present day account I included that too and decided that I'll keep adding present day snippets throughout. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries, its characters, or its plot. I only own this story and idea.

Chapter 6

"Bonnie?" He knocked on the bathroom door once again. She had the music blasting. Gladys Knight sung about that idea of being someone's woman. Damon could hear '_Because she came first darling will she hang on your mind? You're a part of me and you don't even know it. I'm what you need but I'm too afraid to show it.'_

Damon paused with his knuckles on the door and thought over the lines he could hear. Was Bonnie trying to tell him something? He shook his head at the utter nonsense and knocked sharply. "Bonnie, come on! You've been in there forever and I need to brush my teeth!"

The bathroom went quiet and a second later Bonnie spoke. "Then come in and do it."

Damon stared at the bathroom door feeling like this was a trap somehow. But when Bonnie didn't take it back he decided to do as she said. He slowly turned the knob and walked in. Saying he was shocked by what awaited him was an understatement. There was Bonnie Shelia Bennett sitting in a claw foot tub full of bubbles. Her hair was in a messy bun on top of her head and the room smelled of lavender. She was covered in bubbles up to her shoulders. Her face was flushed and she had a slight sheen to her visible skin; she was gorgeous. She noticed that he was staring and had been for several seconds now. She raised her eyebrow and placed her arms on the sides of the tub.

"Something wrong?"

He shook the fog from his brain. "Of course not. Just wondering how long it'll be before you turn into a giant raisin…"

"Ok…Damon. Why are you brushing your teeth anyway? Isn't that reserved for humans?"

"Well Bon Bon if you want to taste copper for the rest of the night I guess I could forgo it….."

She scrunched up her face at the idea of tasting blood. "No thank you."

He nodded with a sharp grin and began to brush his teeth but his eyes kept finding Bonnie in the mirror. She wasn't looking at him. She was staring straight ahead obviously in deep thought. The music was a low hum now but he could hear Etta James stating that she would rather go blind than see the man she loved, love another. What was up with the theme of Bonnie's music tonight? He spit out the last of his toothpaste and slowly closed the door to the bathroom before turning to her and resting his body against the sink with his arms crossed.

"So what's up with the sappy music, Bon Bon?"

Her head jerked up like she had just recalled his presence but her face quickly cleared of any telling emotion. She merely shrugged her shoulder but refused to answer. He wasn't giving up though. He needed to know what was going through her head, especially after her confession a few nights prior. "Is this about the memory?"

Her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. She turned her head away from him, finding an interesting spot on the wall opposite her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Spell the room."

"What?" She looked at him with a confused look.

"Spell the room so we can talk."

"Okay…silentium." She nodded her head afterwards to acknowledge that she had done it and Damon began to walk to her slowly. She swallowed hard, not knowing what was coming. He had on black dress pants and a black dress shirt that had the first three buttons undone. He hadn't donned the suit jacket that would accompany it for the couple's last dinner out before going back home tomorrow. He kneeled on the floor beside her tub, placing his arms on the lip and stared at her. He took in every feature slowly. And she began to become uncomfortable.

"What?"

"Why did you do it?" His eyes stopped lingering over her lips and flicked back up to her eyes, blue crashing with green.

"I don't know what you—"

"Don't lie to me Bonnie. We both know you pulled out a memory. What I want to know is why and what it was."

"It doesn't matter Damon. We're not them and knowing their lives isn't going to change ours."

He lowered his hand to the water…far enough away from her body to be appropriate but close enough to make her uncomfortable. She held her breath and watched his hand intently as he merely skimmed his fingertips back and forth, making a pattern in the water as he tried to gather his thoughts. "And yet you pulled out an entire memory anyway. Was it so intense that you're scared to tell me about it?" He looked back at her but kept treading the water regardless.

"I'm not scared of anything…"

"Then tell me what happened in the memory."

She threw her arms up in defeat, flinging water everywhere but somehow none landed on Damon. "Fine, Damon. We were in your bedroom and I was reading some book about a love story between a girl and a wolf and I compared our love to theirs."

His brow became quizzical. "You compared me to a wolf?"

She laughed dryly. "The other Damon said that too. Either way we just basically said we loved each other. I told you I wasn't ready to become intimate and you were fine with it because you just wanted me. And before the memory ended you asked me _for now?_ And I said _no, forever._"

Damon stood and backed up until he was touching the sink once again. "What does that mean?"

"I'm not sure but it was obvious that it was a recurring thing. It almost seemed like that Bonnie was reassuring that Damon that they were going to be together forever. After that I was ripped out of the memory. That's it, Damon. That's all I saw."

"You said you loved me completely…"

"What?"

"When you confessed you had pulled out a memory when you thought I was asleep, you said that you loved me like Stefan has always been loved…completely. How do you know that?"

She lowered her eyes to the water and the few remaining bubbles in the tub. Thankfully there were still enough to cover the important parts. When she spoke it was barely over a whisper. "I felt it…"

"You felt it….."

"Yes Damon," she looked back up to him. "I felt it. I felt her love for that other Damon. I felt it and it was so intense and strong I was sure I had stopped breathing. She loves him…so much! More than I've ever loved anyone. I don't understand and a part of me doesn't ever want to but the other part, desperately wants to know more." By the time she finished speaking her eyes were filled with tears that refused to fall.

"Bonnie, I—"

"No, Damon. I don't want to hear it. I don't want some pity speech about how you feel bad but Elena is the only one for you and that you could never feel that way for me. I don't need it and I'm not confessing my love for you. All I'm saying is that if you could feel what they felt you would want to know more too. And I haven't pulled out anymore but it gets harder and harder to resist. And frankly that scares me so I'm making it my mission to get us back home before I find out everything. Okay?"

He stared at her for a full minute. He never broke eye contact and his body was completely still. "I want to know."

"You don't. I'm trying to explain to you that you don't."

"No, I do. I really want to know. When we get back from the dinner can you pull out a memory…..please?"

"I guess so but Damon I think you'll regret this."

"Not your call, Bon Bon. You should probably get dressed. We have to leave in a few minutes." He walked out without another word, closing the door softly behind him.

Bonnie stared at the door and let a sigh as she felt herself slipping further into the abyss.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

The restaurant was beautiful; the lights were turned down low and the gang had the whole back room to themselves. Everyone was dressed up. Tyler was in a gray suit with a white button up, Stefan was in a navy blue shirt with a white button up, and Damon was of course donned in all black. All three girls were in varying versions of cute little black dresses but Bonnie drew the most attention because the back of her dress was low on her back, exhibiting the smooth creamy skin. Damon had been staring at it the entire night. He had also been trying to keep his eyes off of Elena's legs. The night was distracting and making his pants very uncomfortable.

Even with the constant reminder of the golden couple Damon was having fun. He was certain that his real life gang had never laughed this hard or been this carefree…especially Stefan who couldn't a keep grin off of his face. His hands were always on Elena in some way and he would stare at her when she was unaware as if all the answers to the universe were in her eyes. Tyler and Caroline were never far from each other and though they believed no one had noticed their hands were always interlocked. He and Bonnie had barely touched all night but it didn't mean they didn't want to. There was barely any space between them as they sat and ate and their hands were always very close to each other as they rested on the table. Their shoulders were constantly bumping and he made sure to always put his lips against her ear whenever he spoke to her. He was getting anxious about the memory he would see tonight. And the longer he sat beside her and smelled her sweet jasmine scent the more he wanted to know the love between their shadow selves.

_Just the Way You Are _by Billy Joel began to play and the two other couples instantly got up to dance. His heart lurched at the words from the song's lyrics and he felt a kinship to their meaning…he didn't know how but he knew it had something to do with Bonnie. He scooted his chair back, stood, and extending his hand to her. Her smile was sweet and warm as she placed her much smaller hand in his and followed him out to the dance floor. His left hand slipped beneath her mass of curls to rest between her shoulder blades and his right rested at the small of her back. She laid her head on his chest while letting out a blissful sigh. If she was being honest being intimate with Damon just felt right. When she let go of all the reasons that they shouldn't and never could be she found comfort and beauty in his hands and mouth. And since this was the last day of their trip and they would have to go back home tomorrow where they would search for a way out, she decided to relax and enjoy the feeling of his fingertips gently brushing against her spine and his warm breath tickling her ear. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and began to sing Billy's words to her. She laughed low in her throat and slipped her arms beneath his black jacket and held onto his back tightly. They were wrapped up in the façade of their relationship, the wine helping to relax them, and though neither of them would admit it, it was the first time in their existence that their souls felt settled. She lifted her face so her lips were brushing against his neck and began to the beat the tone of the song against his chest where his heart used to beat.

"We should get home soon."

"Hmmm," she hummed against his neck which tickled his skin and made him shiver lightly.

He raised his voice so the other two couples would hear him. "We should probably call it a night pretty soon. We have to leave pretty early and Bon Bon is barely standing."

She smiled up at him. "I'm didn't drink that much."

He flicked her nose. "Sure."

Thirty minutes later the girls were collecting their coats. Damon slipped Bonnie's black pea coat onto her, turned her around and kissed her forehead, lingering for several seconds. He then leaned down to her ear to whisper to her. "You owe me a memory, little lady."

She looked up at him with glazed over eyes that were barely holding up from the long night and bottles of wine. "You honestly still want one?"

"I sure do."

"Fine. But I'm going to give you the memory and then pass out. Deal?"

"Deal." He winked at her and then steered her towards the car.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

All three girls were leaning on their significant others as they made their way into the cabin. The alcohol had finally started to take affect and they were giggly and just the right side of aggressive. The two couples practically ran to their rooms and slammed the doors behind them before attacking each other. Damon slowly walked behind Bonnie who was teetering and removing her shoes as she entered their bedroom. He closed the door behind him and turned around just in time to dodge the shoes she threw behind her. She was completely oblivious to him. He watched in unconcealed interest as she slowly, with her back to him, stripped the dress from her body. She was wearing a black lace set with matching stockings and he almost had a mini heart attack when she bent at the waist, giving him a full view of her small round bottom wrapped in sheer lace, to remove her dress. His hands folded into tight fists and he moaned low in his throat.

"Bonnie…"

She stood up and turned just her head in his direction. Her curls were a sexy hot mess, her body was toned and beautiful, and her lips were plumb and covered in bright red lipstick. "Hmmm?" She turned her body completely to him and he realized that her bra was see-thru except for the black spots that covered her nipples.

"Fuck it!" He rushed to her, stuck his hands in her hair, and jerked her to him before placing his lips on hers. She sucked in a breath of shock and wrapped her fingers around the lapel of his jacket before giving him everything he wanted. The kiss was long and deep. He slowed down the pace and slipped his tongue into her mouth, gently massaging the inside and dueling with her tongue. Her body was molded to him and she couldn't get enough. He pulled back and licked his way from her collar bone to her jaw. "Damon," she moaned and tipped her head back to give him more access. As his mouth made love to her neck he slipped his jacket off and threw it across the room where it landed on the bed. He took a step back and loosened his tie as he stared at her with lust-filled eyes.

"Turn around and put your hands on the wall."

She sucked in a sharp breath as her head swam from the wine but she was aware enough to know what she did and did not want. She turned slowly and walked to the wall and placed her hands on it before also resting her forehead against it. She was trembling in anticipation. Damon licked his lips, walked up to her, slipped one arm around her body and placed his palm on her right breast. He squeezed it softly and whispered in her ear. "You can say no if you want…"

"I don't want to…"

He groaned deep in his chest. "Good." His mouth attached to her neck and he slipped his right hand, as his left hand continued to fondle her breast, into her panties. She was already wet and Damon felt like he had died and gone to heaven. The wine and the heat of her were driving him up the wall. He pressed his index finger against her nub and rubbed it in a circular motion before slipping a finger into her. Her breath caught on a moan. She placed her cheek on the wall and started breathing heavily while holding onto his hand as he fingered her deeply, now with two fingers. "Damon…Damon…please don't stop….."

Just as she was about to reach her climax a knock sounded at the door. Damon didn't remove either of his hands but ripped his mouth from her neck. "WHAT?!" He growled.

Caroline sounded slightly scared. "Um…is Bonnie available?"

"NO!" He started pistoning his fingers inside her again and she yelped.

"Damon…" She grabbed his hand to stop him. "Damon stop."

He let his head drop to the wall with a loud thud. "You have got to be kidding me."

She pulled his hand from her panties and stepped out from between the wall and him. He had one hand still on the wall as he looked her up and down. "Bonnie…come on."

"Caroline needs me, Damon."

He reached for her, wrapping his arms around her waist and began kissing her neck before whispering against her neck. "So do I."

She patted his back and then ripped his arms from her. "Damon this is probably for the best."

He placed his hand on his hips and invaded her space. "How so?"

"We shouldn't have been doing what we were just doing. You know that. And fate merely stepped in and stopped us before it went too far." He studied her for several seconds before stepping back.

"Whatever you say Bonnie." She nodded slowly and walked to the closet to slip on her robe. She belted it and walked to the door but before she could open it Damon grabbed her wrist. "You still owe me a memory, Bennett."

"Still? After what just happened?"

"You promised."

"Ok, Damon." She stepped up to him and slipped her fingers into his hair before pulling his forehead down to hers. Before she could open her mouth to say the words he interrupted her.

"Can you somehow locate a memory that includes the song _Just the Way You Are?_"

"Why?"

"I just have a feeling that it played a big part in our, I mean, their relationship."

"I'll try. I guess if I concentrate on the song while I say the spell it should work. You ready?"

He gave her a quick kiss. "Ready."

She whispered the incantation and as it hit him and he began to feel dizzy he made his way to the bed and feel back as the memory overtook him.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

_Damon's eyes popped open. He was standing outside of a beautiful adobe building that had spicy scents of Italian food coming from the propped open door. Laughter and loud voices were coming from inside. He recognized this place. It was a restaurant in a nearby town to Mystic Falls. He walked at a slow pace slightly worried that people would be able to see him but people passed right by him without a glance. At the center of the group of familiar faces we're Stefan and Elena, who were laughing and accepting congratulations on their engagement. _

_Damon realized that it was a party to celebrate the new engagement of the couple that obviously Caroline had thrown based on the 75 watt smile on the blonde's face. Everyone was mingling and sipping wine as the meal was being prepared. Damon spotted Bonnie standing by the bar sipping a pink fizzy drink as she laughed with Jeremy. He felt instant jealously rise inside him but he had a strange feeling it wasn't coming directly from him. He got a slight tingle at the back of his neck and turned to the doorway where his shadow self was standing and watching Bonnie and Jeremy intently. His face was hard and tight as he watched Jeremy place a hand on Bonnie's arm and squeeze warmly. He walked swiftly to them and stood a little too close to the couple. _

"_Bonnie. Jeremy."_

_Bonnie looked up at him from under her lashes with a pinched mouth. _

"_What's up Damon?" Jeremy asked him with a quizzical look. _

"_Not much, Jeremy." He reached for Jeremy's hand and pulled it from Bonnie's arm. "Mind if I borrow our resident Glinda for a minute. Shop talk…"_

_Jeremy looked confused but nodded. "Yeah of course. I need to go congratulate Elena and Stefan anyway."_

_He walked away and Damon turned to Bonnie who had yet to acknowledge him. When she continued to sip at her drink and practically look through him he let out a slight growl, grabbed her arm, and pulled her through the crowd to the single use bathroom. He shut the door behind them and placed his palms against it while trying to maintain his breathing. Bonnie still hadn't spoken to him and he was starting to get angry. He turned to her and found an equally pissed off witch. _

"_What the hell was that, Damon?"_

_He merely lifted his eyebrow in question. "Don't do that. Don't play the innocent act. You practically beat your chest and screamed MINE when you saw me talking to Jeremy and then you drag me in here like no one's going to notice?"_

"_See…that's the difference between you and me Bonnie. I don't care if anybody notices."_

"_Bull."_

"_Excuse me?"_

"_I said bull. You care. You care if Elena finds out because we both know you're still carrying a torch for her. So don't act like I've inconvenienced you by forbidding our relationship to become public."_

_He invaded her space quickly. She had to lean her head back just to make eye contact with him. "Is that what this is? A relationship? I thought it was just pity because you felt sorry for the Salvatore who couldn't get love."_

"_You know that's not true. The last thing I feel for you is pity. And just for the record you could probably find love if you went after a girl that wasn't already interested in your brother."_

_His face went cold and hard fast. He brought his hand up to brush his fingers over her exposed collarbone before cupping her shoulder, digging his fingers painfully in. "I thought I did." He shook his head in disgust and stepped back. "I'm done Bonnie. We're done." He turned to leave but before he could unlock the door she grabbed his wrist. _

"_What does that mean?" _

_He turned back to her slowly with an expressionless face. "It means that I'm done chasing after the one girl I had no business falling for in the first place."_

"_I….I don't know what that means…"_

"_Bonnie let's be honest. You and I, we never would have made it. Too much baggage, too much dirty blood. I've hurt you too much and you've hated me too long. Hell, just the fact of what we are says that we can't be together. I represent only death and you, Bonnie Bennett, are the furthest thing from darkness. I went for the impossible and I learned my place. And now I'm done. Don't worry, I won't ever tell anyone that you lowered yourself enough to even look in my direction."_

_He walked out of the door without a backward glance. Just as he entered the dance floor, Bonnie's voice stopped him. She had dulled the sound of the music and when she yelled his name the room went quiet. He turned towards her with his arms crossed and lifted an eyebrow. He didn't expect her to follow him, especially since their friends were in the room. _

"_Yes?"_

"_I don't want to be done, Damon. I know that I've made you feel less than wanted but I do want you. It just scares me. You and I…there is so much against us and there are so many people, half of which are in this room, that would never support us. So I've been hiding it…us…and I've asked you to hide it and that wasn't fair. You've never felt good enough and I didn't help that by telling you that we were temporary. We're not. I care about you so much. And I know that you don't trust anyone but you can trust me. I want us to actually try…in public and I don't care what anyone thinks. So…the choice is up to you….."_

_Both Caroline and Elena's mouths had fallen open. They were shocked and felt slightly betrayed. Jeremy's face was pinched with anger. _

_Stefan approached Damon quickly. "Can we talk, Damon?"_

_Damon didn't spare him a look. "Not now little brother. I'm in the middle of something. You want me?"_

_Bonnie's face filled with annoyance. "You know I do Damon. Stop being difficult…"_

"_Oh I'm difficult? We've been doing this song and dance for months now and it takes me leaving you for you to finally admit that we have something real."_

_She began tapping her foot and he was sure that his hair would be on fire soon if he didn't get his act together."Do you want me or not?"_

_He didn't answer. He merely went up to the DJ and whispered in his ear. Just the Way You Are began to play. He extended his hand to her. She merely lifted an eyebrow at the song of choice. He chuckled and slid his arms around her waist before leaning down to whisper in her ear, though every vampire in the room could hear it. "It's our song Bon Bon. It explains everything I feel for you."_

_She smiled sweetly and rested her head against his chest. Eventually everyone else joined them on the dance floor, including their friends who would be demanding an explanation as soon as the night was over. _

Damon felt himself being pulled out of the memory at a rapid speed. He instantly felt clammy and nauseous. Bonnie was going to have to find a way to fix that. He shot up in bed and looked around the room, his eyes instantly landing on Bonnie's sleeping form.

He dug his hands in his hair and breathed deeply, while trying to get a handle on what he had just experienced. He decided some warm blood would probably clear his head and calm him down. He slipped out of bed carefully though there was no point. Bonnie slept like the dead and never noticed when he entered or exited.

When he walked into the kitchen and flipped on the lights he was met with a brooding forehead.

"Hello brother. Shouldn't you be spooning a certain brunette beauty?"

Stefan smiled a secret smile that let Damon know that whatever had happened between Stefan and Elena in that bedroom had been much more than spooning. He felt the jealously choking him and he quickly turned away from his brother to began heating up his blood. Stefan shook his head to clear it of salacious memories.

"Why are you up? Bonnie sleep already?"

"Oh yeah. She's dead to the world. I regularly check her breathing."

Stefan chuckled. "Something she and Elena have in common."

Though Stefan and he rarely shared, he realized that his relationship with his brother in this world was much different. It was actually healthy and he could actually let his brother in. He was very uncomfortable with it but he needed advice and he didn't know who else to ask.

He sat across from Stefan at the kitchen table and sipped his blood while trying to gather his thoughts. Stefan knew him well and because of that he knew he had to start the conversation.

"What's wrong Damon? Something I can help with?"

He lowered his eyes and kept them on the table as he spoke to his brother. "I loved Katherine. I loved her with everything in me. She saw the flaws and the darkness in me and she encouraged it. I felt perfect when I was with her but I also felt like I was constantly striving to be better. She wanted me but she also wanted a kind heart and she found that in you. I never had that. I didn't know how to be that. I didn't know how to be gentle and loving with her. I was never shown that so I didn't know how to give it to someone else. All I knew how to do was love hard and to want until both of us were choking with it. That was what I thought love was. It was being so wrapped up in someone that you couldn't even see yourself anymore. And now I'm with someone who doesn't love like that…someone who doesn't want the darkness but also doesn't turn away from it. It's easy with Bonnie. I can just be myself and that in itself has been a journey because I don't even know who I really am outside of being the bad guy. I guess my question is how do I love someone like Bonnie? Someone who is so good and pure she would give her life for a total stranger. And how the hell can someone that perfect ever love someone as damaged and dark as me?"

"You two already love each other, Damon."

"Let's say for arguments sake we didn't. I need advice little brother and I don't know who else to ask."

"Alright. The answer is: you trust each other. That's it. That's the big secret."

"We trust each other? Thanks a lot, Stefan, for the biggest load of shit." Damon abandoned his blood and started to exit the kitchen but stopped when Stefan began to speak again.

"Trust her with who you really are. Not the persona you put on to be feared and respected. Trust her with the guy you were before you became a pseudo Katherine. Trust her to love that man. And if you do…if you lower your guard and put all your trust in her she will love you in ways you couldn't imagine. Just trust her Damon. That's what I did with Elena."

"And it worked?"

Stefan laughed. "Well we are getting married."

Damon didn't turn back to look at Stefan. He kept his back to him as he pondered what his brother had just suggested. "Trust her?"

"That's it."

Damon nodded his head slowly and then whispered a short 'goodnight' before walking out of the kitchen. Stefan smiled at his retreating back. "Night brother."

_Present Day:_

Damon awoke to the sound of people moving around downstairs. He could hear his brother trying to quiet down Caroline so that he and Bonnie wouldn't be awoken. It hit him hard that they were back in their time. It hit him even harder that in this world, in this time, he wasn't married to Bonnie.

Bonnie was still asleep with her back to him and her butt pressed against his ever growing member. Instead of dwelling on the fact that they would have to pretend that their relationship hadn't taken a drastic turn once they were downstairs, he decided to revel in their moment. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him snuggly before pressing his face to the base of her neck and inhaling. He felt her pulse spike and knew she was awake.

"Good morning, Mrs. Salvatore."

She let out a contented sigh. "Good morning, Mr. Salvatore." She turned over slowly and once she faced him she rubbed her hand down his fresh stubble.

"You need to shave."

"That's what you say the first thing in the morning? In a few minutes we have to fake animosity and the only thing on your mind is my stubble."

She cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "What should my mind be on, Mr. Salvatore?"

His mouth turned up and he pretended to think about the question. "Hmmm…kissing your husband seems like a good option."

"Oh I agree. You are quite intelligent for someone so handsome." She mocked him as her mouth lifted in a cocky grin.

"You better be glad I love you." Her chuckle at his comment was cut short when his soft lips settled on hers. She immediately settled into the kiss and wrapped her arms around him before he rolled them over and settled his hips in between her legs. He leaned back after a few seconds and brushed back her hair from her face. His face became serious and Bonnie instantly didn't want to hear what he had to say. "I don't want to pretend Bonnie."

She let out a heavy sigh and wrapped her hands around his wrists, as his hands rested on the sides of her face to keep eye contact. "It's what's best, Damon…"

He scoffed at her comment and slid of her body before sitting on the edge of the bed, with his back to her. "Best for who? Elena? Jeremy? Everyone who isn't us?" He turned to study her face but didn't let her answer him though if she was being honest she didn't have a good answer for him. "I'm happy. For once I'm happy and I don't want to hide it. I don't want to feel like I did with Katherine or Elena ever again and that's what you're asking me to do."

She sat up and tried to wrap her arms around his body but he stood and walked away from the bed before she barely made contact.

"Don't do that Bonnie. Don't try and placate me so I give into what you're saying. I'm not pretending. I'm done with pretending for the rest of my life." He whipped around to her, with anger lighting his eyes. "Over there I didn't have to pretend. I got to love with everything I am and for once it was reciprocated. I got to be loved by the one and only Bonnie Bennett and it was everything I ever wished for. For once I truly wished I was human so I could grow old with someone. And now I have to be here and pretend that none of that happened. I have to pretend to be the old, angry, damaged Damon so that the people that we used to love won't be hurt but I'm not him anymore Bonnie. And I don't ever want to be him again. So if you want to go down there and pretend then do it but I won't."

With that last comment he sped around the room to throw on his clothes and then left the room. Before Bonnie could even form a cohesive thought she heard his Mustang roar to life before he drove off. Bonnie felt the tears make slow tracks down her face and she used her magic to close and lock his door. Barely a second later Elena and Caroline were at the bedroom door knocking and asking if everything was ok but she couldn't say. She and Damon hadn't even been back for 24 hours and already their marriage was strained. She buried her head beneath his comforter and let the tears lull her back to sleep.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

Bonnie pulled the sheet and comforter down to right below her chin. She wasn't sure what the time was. She looked out the window and was shocked to see that it was dark outside. She turned quickly to the clock on Damon's nightstand, which read 10:13. She had slept the whole day. She hadn't eaten and she hadn't exited the bed since her fight with Damon and he hadn't returned. Her bladder, with the knowledge that she was now fully awake, protested and she exited the bed quickly, for the bathroom where she relieved herself.

She had barely made contact with the bed when a small knock came from the bedroom door. She knew that knock…that was Caroline's knock. Somehow her knock was always sharp and attention grabbing but quiet enough not to startle. Bonnie just stared at the door, not quite sure what to do but Caroline made the decision for her by speaking first.

"Bonnie it's just me. Elena and Stefan went out. We can talk freely if you want…about what I saw and what's happening. It's up to you."

Bonnie didn't have to think long about her decision. She was on her feet instantly and unlocking and opening the door for Caroline. She and Caroline watched each other for several seconds without speaking before Bonnie couldn't take it anymore. One minute she was ok the next she was crumbling. She began to cry uncontrollably and Caroline grabbed her and hugged her hard before steering her back into the bedroom, after closing the door behind them. They sat on the bed and Caroline held her and let her cry. She didn't say anything. She didn't push her for answers; she just let her cry until she had no tears left.

When Bonnie was done she separated herself from Caroline but didn't move far from her. Caroline held her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

Bonnie nodded but didn't lift her eyes from the bed. Caroline sat in silence for several seconds as Bonnie gathered her thoughts and tried to figure out how best to approach this. She decided honesty was the easiest way. She took a deep breath before divulging the truth. "We're married."

Caroline's face developed into such an exaggerated expression of shock that she almost looked like a caricature. "You and Damon? Are…are…"

Bonnie finally looked up at her. "Married. We're married and so in love it's painful to be away from him right now."

Caroline nodded several times like she understood but based on her facial expression that was obviously not true. "Could you just explain how something like that happens? How does someone like you and someone like Damon fall in love?"

"We went to a place where you, and I, and Elena were still in high school. It was like we were getting a redo. You were still a vampire but you were happy and with Tyler. Elena was still human and getting married to Stefan and the Damon and Bonnie of that world were in a relationship so when we got sent there we took over their lives. And instead of trying to fight it Damon and I decided to just act our roles as boyfriend and girlfriend until we got out. But after awhile we just kind of stopped trying so hard to get out. We were just so happy, Caroline. Everyone was just so happy and Damon and I realized that this was our chance to see if there was an actual spark between us. We figured that if the alternate Bonnie and Damon got together, who weren't much different from us, that there had to be something between us so we made the choice together to try and see if we could be more while we were in that world. It was almost like a free zone where none of our past was relevant. And before we knew it we were in love with each other. Once we realized that, we gave up trying to get out altogether. I went to college and we got married and we made a home. And we even started looking into spells that could help me get pregnant and then you guys pulled us out."

Caroline's eyes became shiny with tears but they didn't spill over. "We ruined your life."

Bonnie held onto both of Caroline's hands and gave them a gentle squeeze while shaking her head no. "No, of course not. You guys were worried about us. You thought we were dead and you just wanted to save us. I don't blame you…not at all. The point is Damon and I aren't willing to give up what we have. We love each other and I know that, that's going to be hard on everyone so I told him we had to wait to tell you guys. That's what the fight was about this morning. He's refusing to act like we're nothing more than reluctant friends. It's just causing a small rift between us and I'm not sure what to do. What do I do, Caroline?"

"I can't answer that but I will say this, and if you repeat this to anyone, ever I will deny it, I agree with Damon. Why keep this a secret? You were happy Bonnie and you deserved to be. You have sacrificed everything for your friends. Why sacrifice this? Why sacrifice Damon?"

"Because…because…it will destroy Elena."

Caroline nodded in agreement. "Maybe it will. But ask yourself this, Bonnie Bennett; would Elena sacrifice her happiness to keep from destroying you?"

Bonnie searched herself for the right answer but the only answer she could come up with was a loud and definite: no.


	7. Chapter 7

Hellooooooo! So I have been gone for a long time because…well because…hmmm…because I suck! I can admit it. I have to tell you I was blocked for a long time with this story. I mean I kept trying to write even a paragraph and it would come out complete and utter shit. And then a couple of days ago I sat down once again and tried and BOOM! It worked! So a couple of things we need to discuss. First off: I'm super sorry for taking so long to post a new chapter but I would rather take forever and produce something semi decent than put out chapter after chapter of crap. Second: this chapter is so filler it's sickening and I love it so much! I know a lot of people will not fill that way because it is a filler, it only has one memory, and there is no present Damon and Bonnie but I know where I'm going and what I'm doing…kind of. Either way I really want to get their relationship going and that's where my head is currently. That does not mean that the present is done…definitely not! But I don't want to mess that up either. Still trying to decide if I want to draw out the gang finding out about their marriage or if I want it to come out right away. Any ideas? Please pass them along! I already have a great suggestion where to go with it but I love feedback regardless. And third: I want to say thank you to all of my readers and reviewers and especially to the ones who pm. I have to give a special thank you though to angelusjane. I absolutely adore you. No matter how lazy or uninspired I get, you are right there to tell me to get off my ass and write. I appreciate it so much and probably couldn't keep going without someone like you and so many others in my corner. Thank you my beautiful bamonators!

Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries, its characters, or its storyline. I only own my original concepts and stories.

Chapter 7

Six Years Ago-school time:

The sky was black and there were random stars dotting it. Damon's back was against the cool asphalt and his arms were straight down beside his sides. He had been lying in the middle of the road for over an hour now. His phone was in his front pocket on silent and had been for a while. A car had come and gone earlier and he had only been slightly tempted to bleed them dry. He heard another car coming and prepared to have an existential crisis before filling himself till he was ready to pop like a tick. He heard the car pull off to the side before screeching to a halt and then he heard heels clacking against the road as they approached him. They stopped with the toes touching the exposed skin of his arm.

"What are you doing?"

He opened one eye and looked up into the fiery eyes of a Bennett witch.

"What are you doing here?"

"You mean what am I doing standing in the middle of the road staring at an idiot? That's a good question! Could it be that said idiot has been ignoring me since we got back from vacation 3 weeks ago?"

Damon shrugged and closed his eyes once more. "Not ignoring. Busy."

"Busy doing what? Not spending time with any of our friends because no one has seen or heard from you, not even your brother. Is this about the memory? Cause I swear if I had known it would turn you into such a jackass I wouldn't have given it to you."

"Bonnie I don't feel like a 1980's heartfelt confession right now. Just go."

Bonnie huffed. "I have a better idea." She dropped down beside him and placed her shoulder against his and her head on the ground. They were quiet for a while. The only sounds were the crickets in the trees surrounding them and their shallow breathing. After a couple of minutes Bonnie turned her head and stared at his pale cheek, pouty lips, and ink black lashes. "Is this about the memory? You can tell me."

He remained silent and unflinching. She continued to speak regardless.

"I don't know what the memory was but I know it really affected you…I don't know if it was a positive or a negative effect but I'm assuming, with the help of the cold shoulder, that it wasn't exactly positive. Whatever it was just remember that we are not them. And remember that we will get back one day and you'll get back to Elena and this will just be a bad dream…I'll just be a bad dream. All the things we did on that trip can be forgotten. I'm willing to forget them if need be. But until then Damon I need you to be present. I don't know what to do or how to get us home and having someone on my team pushing me would help. And to show my gratitude I will never give you another memory…I promise."

He opened his eyes and stared at the black sky but remained silent. Bonnie was done for the night. She only hoped he would reach out to her eventually. She started to sit up but stopped when he broke the silence.

"Did you know I cared for someone before Katherine?"

Bonnie shook her head and waited for him to continue.

"She was the daughter of one of my father's business partners. She was beautiful and timid and exactly what one would look for in a partner. I courted her. We weren't actually allowed to spend too much time alone but I would take her to plays and shows and on long walks so I could catch little pieces of her….."

"Sounds nice."

"I hated it." Damon laughed and it sounded like gravel. "I hated everything about it. It was so safe and pathetic. And exactly what my father had done with my mother. I wanted off that ride as soon as possible and then I met Katherine. She was dark and wild and a part of me hated her as I fucked her and I loved it. But she didn't exactly understand loyalty so then there was Elena. She was accepting and big hearted but she craved the demon in me…hell she practically coached it on how to be evil." He turned his head and locked eyes with Bonnie. "When I had that memory do you know who I thought about?"

Bonnie shook her head in the negative. "I'm assuming you thought about Katherine or Elena."

"Nope. I thought about that girl I courted in the 1800's and how much I miss that…the ordinary. That's what that other Damon and Bonnie had…a normal, ordinary relationship. They wanted to be together and they fought to be. It's very cut and dry. I want that. And I've never really had it." He turned and looked back up at the sky.

"Is that the reason you've been avoiding me? You feel awkward after seeing their relationship? I get that. I felt the same way. It's like peeking into a window display and wanting everything you see but not being able to afford it. But you can Damon…you have that with Elena so just help me figure out things and we can go."

"I don't."

"You don't what?"

"Have that with Elena. I felt what alternate Damon felt for you and I don't think I've ever felt something so honest. He loved you with everything that's in him and he trusted you. I don't trust her."

"Elena?"

"I can't. You can't honestly tell me that you do?"

Bonnie turned from him and stared at the sky and tried to collect her thoughts. "I used to. She was a different person before she became a vampire. I know you met her before then but the Elena you met had already started to turn slightly dark. Her parent's death really rocked her. She was done with the mundane and then she met Stefan and then she got turned and then she….." Bonnie abruptly stopped and bit her lower lip.

"Started dating me….."

Bonnie didn't say anything. She just continued to make eye contact with the dark sky.

"You can say it, Bonnie. I know I'm not exactly the best influence."

"Elena's choices are her own. Who she dates and what she forgives is her choice but to be honest since she fell for you she's become someone else…someone I don't exactly trust anymore. The new Elena is too willing to do disastrous things in the name of love. I can't trust her to support me if it's in opposition of you. That's hard. To know someone and love someone all your life and then to one day have to watch what you say and do around them because they can't be trusted with your secrets and desires anymore. That's why being here has been so refreshing. She's my Elena and I've missed her so much. It makes the idea of going back a little less than desirable."

"I understand that."

"Do you? You love the new Elena."

"You're right I do. The new Elena accepts me. She never tries to change me."

"Exactly! So obviously you want to go back so help me find a spell to do that." She got up and walked to her car but before she could open the car door he sped in front of her. She crossed her arms and gave him an impatient look. "What, Damon? What's on your mind, because although you've been silent for three weeks straight you've been screaming at me internally? Just tell me what's on your mind."

He leaned against the car and crossed his arms while turning his head and staring out at the empty road. "In the memory you were the one to out our relationship."

"What do you mean?"

"I left you. I felt like you didn't really want me. I thought you were just another Katherine or Elena. I thought I was just a means to an end until you found someone better. I was the secret tryst that took up time but never needed to be discussed and so I dropped you but instead of letting me you followed me out into the middle of all your friends and declared that you wanted me. It was the first time someone chose me and wasn't afraid of the backlash it would create. You don't understand what that felt like. I know it wasn't really me but I felt it. I didn't know it would feel like that."

"It's pretty intense." She put her head down and stared at the road.

"That's why I've been avoiding you."

Bonnie simply nodded but didn't look up.

"Do you want to know why?"

"Sure."

"Then look at me." He put his index finger under her chin and lifted her head until they locked eyes. "I've been thinking about that memory for three weeks straight and the only conclusion I've come to is I want to feel that feeling over and over. I know that your memory made you curious about you and me too. So I have a proposition for you."

Bonnie readjusted her weight but kept eye contact. "Ok?"

"Maybe I haven't spoken to you in a few weeks but I haven't been too far away. I've seen you at school and with your friends. You seem happy."

"Well it's a senior year without villains and fear. I get to be a normal teenager and only worry about which classes I'm not passing with flying colors. Both of my friends are happy and my dad is alive and well and if everything stays this way I get to get a diploma while actually being alive."

"I want you to continue to have that. So my proposition is this: we stick around until graduation. You live a normal senior year and in return you give me a chance."

Bonnie took an involuntary step back. "A chance to what?"

"I want you to know me. The real me. Not the jackass vampire that fucked up your life. I did that and I'm sorry but that's not who I am. Stefan told me that if I wanted someone like you to care about me that I needed to be myself. Not the ideal situation but I can adjust."

"What are you asking me, Damon?"

"For us to try a real relationship out. What do you think?"

"I think you've lost your mind. Now move. I have to get home before my dad realizes I'm not upstairs studying."

She pushed past him and opened her door but he caught it before she could close it behind her.

"What do you have to lose?"

"Damon, you and I barely tolerate each other. Yes we have bonded in this world to survive and yes we have had some moments-"

"Is that what we're calling them?"

"If you want to keep your tongue, yes. The point is we don't get along. But Jeremy and I, we do and I think that we could be right in this world just like in ours. I've been thinking about it and I think I should give it a shot."

Damon's face became cold. He knelt down in front of her and stared hard at her. "Ok, Bonnie you go ahead and do that. Give him a chance in this world just like in ours. And wait for the disappointment."

"You don't know him, Damon."

"I know that he's made you a second choice plenty of times. I know that he's made you feel like you're not enough. I know he's given you the Gilbert charm. The charm that convinces you that the sun shines out of their asses. If you think that's going to change here then you're wrong. Maybe I'm not always the good guy and maybe I do outrageous shit in the name of love but when I'm in a relationship I give it my all. You would never be a second choice to me. But if you truly want a child who would be willing to cheat on you at the drop of a hat then you do that."

He stood up, closed the door in her face before making his way down the road and disappearing in the woods.

Bonnie exhaled slowly and wiped a stray tear from her eye. She reached for her phone and text Elena, who text back a few seconds later.

"_Are you busy?"_

"_Not really. Just studying for that calculus test. What's up?"_

"_Do you mind if I swing by?"_

"_Of course not. I'll leave the door unlocked."_

"_K. Be there in 5."_

"_Ok!"_

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

Bonnie dropped down on Elena's bed with a huff and dropped her bag on the floor. Elena turned from her vanity and saw Bonnie's face, which made her immediately close her bedroom door before sitting on the bed across from her friend.

"What's wrong?"

"I had a little fight with Damon."

"You finally talked to him? Is he ok?"

"Yeah. He said he needed space to think. Jackass."

"Agreed. Stefan's been so worried. He hasn't disappeared like that in years."

"I know." Bonnie picked at a loose thread on the comforter. "I don't know what to do, Lena."

"About?"

"Damon. He's been a little bit too much lately and I'm thinking about ending things."

Elena grabbed Bonnie's hand. "Bonnie, I didn't realize things were that bad. You two are always so happy. Do you remember that time we went to that drive-in to see that Halloween triple feature movie marathon? It was one of the first double dates you two had been on and the first time you guys had been out with us since the big reveal. I expected for you two to fight and argue the whole time because that's who you two always were but all I saw was a happy, comfortable, loving couple that made me slightly envious."

"You were envious of Damon and me? Why? You have Stefan."

"I do have Stefan and I love him so much but things weren't always so easy for us. He kept things from me all the time in the beginning and I hid things from him when I thought I could save him. It created a lot of trust issues. On top of it, and please don't hate me, but at one point I had mixed feelings about Damon and that created an insecurity in Stefan that strained us. I was also insecure after Katherine admitted her love for my boyfriend. Our relationship was rocky and I was constantly waiting for the final blow but you and Damon are different. You seem to fit in a way I don't think I've ever seen. It's like as soon as you two decided to make this commitment that was it. You two know each other's quirks and you finish each other's sentences and he looks at you like you're all he could ever want and will ever want. The trust is there and there are no insecurities. You both know the commitment is forever and that's so rare. I just think you should really think this through before you just end it."

Bonnie's brow knotted in the middle and she thought through what Elena had just said to her. At every turn she was being told that she and Damon were perfect together and she didn't understand it. She did know, however, that she and Jeremy were nothing like what Elena had just described.

"Thanks Lena. I'm going to head home and think about what you said." She picked up her bag and made her way to the door before turning back to Elena. "We're still on for the sleepover this weekend right."

"Of course! Besides if either of us try and cancel Caroline will have a full blown heart attack."

Bonnie laughed and hugged her before walking out.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

When Bonnie got home she scrubbed the day from her face, changed into an oversized shirt, put her hair in a messy top bun and climbed into bed. She cut her lamp off and turned on her side. She could see the full moon through her window and a calm overtook her. A calm that helped her make the choice to pull the memory of the double date to the Halloween marathon. She closed her eyes and whispered Latin under her breath and then slipped under into the memory.

_Honk honk. Bonnie rushed to her bedroom window and looked down to see Damon leaning against one of the random cars that he rarely drove. The top was down and Elena and Stefan were already in the backseat. She waved at him before grabbing her keys and wallet and running down the stairs. Her hand had barely made contact with the knob before she heard a throat clear behind her. She pivoted on her foot slowly. _

"_Dad, it's just a date. And Elena and Stefan will be there."_

_Her dad crossed his arms over his strong chest. "He can't knock on the door like a respectful man?"_

"_He's not exactly a man, Dad." _

_He held up his hand to stop her. "Something I don't even want to discuss. Just be careful and make sure that boy keeps his hands to himself."_

"_Yes sir." She smiled warmly and reached up on her toes to press a soft kiss to his cheek. "Bye Daddy."_

"_See you later, ladybug."_

_She closed the door quietly behind her and walked to Damon with a cocky smile. "Hello."_

_He smiled slowly. "Hello Ms. Bennett. Ready to go?" He opened the door for her. _

"_Not before I get my kiss."_

"_Lord, woman, I swear you would ask for the moon if you thought I could afford it." _

_She grabbed him by his shirt and jerked him to her. "Shut up." She pulled down and he went willingly. The kiss was a mere peck but it was warm and full of emotion. _

_Elena sighed. "You two are so cute."_

_Damon jerked back and ushered Bonnie inside the car. "I'm not cute. I'm irresistible." His smiled kicked up to the side. He hopped in the car and sped off. _

_They found a good parking space. Damon leaned back a little to get comfortable and Bonnie pulled her shoes off before sitting Indian style. Elena leaned against the door and put her bare feet in Stefan's lap, who immediately began to rub the instep. _

_Bonnie turned slightly in her seat to look at Damon as they got into the movie. "I'm surprised you wanted to see this." She said around the popcorn in her mouth. _

_Damon stuck his hand in the bag and pulled out a handful of popcorn. He began throwing individual kernels in his mouth. "Why? It's not that bad."_

"_I just assumed that since you were alive for Nosferatu that Jason Voorhees wouldn't seem like much of a bad guy."_

_Damon gave her a look of death. "Just for that you don't get to hide in my chest during the scary parts."_

"_I've seen this Damon. More than once. I don't need to hide."_

"_Maybe not but I'm sure you want to cuddle against me regardless." _

"_Whatever!"_

_She turned back to the movie. She could already hear Stefan and Elena making out in the back seat. They had barely made it 20 minutes. She looked under her lashes at Damon who promptly chuckled. _

"_Nope!"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_I'm not kissing you either. I'm too old to touch you anyway. I don't want to be labeled a pedophile."_

"_You're not a pedophile…a narcissistic asshole, maybe, but that's about it. Now how about I scoot over and we cuddle a little."_

_He lifted his eyebrow but gave up quickly. "Just a little."_

_She scooted over and laid her head against his chest while he put his arm around her shoulder and settled deeper into his seat. _

"_I swear everyone had sex in these 80's movies. I mean like all the time. No wonder they didn't notice all the killings going on."_

"_It probably helped that they were always extremely stupid and lacked basic survival skills."_

"_True. I just have to say though that, that would never happen to me because I would never have chosen to be in those woods in the first place."_

_Damon popped more popcorn in his mouth. "It would never happen to you because I would rip out the spine of anyone who tried to hurt you."_

_He said it with a severe seriousness but continued to watch the movie like nothing had happened. Bonnie smiled sloppily and pressed a hard kiss to his lips. "You're my favorite boyfriend." _

"_Good cause that other guy is a dick."_

_She laughed and wrapped her arm around his middle. _

_They had been watching the movie for almost two hours. The main character now knew that the actual killer was Jason's mother and she was fighting to survive. Elena and Stefan hadn't come up for air yet. _

"_What's next?"_

_He pulled out the program given to them by the attendant when they paid for their tickets. "Nightmare on Elm Street and then we finish up with Halloween which I'm excited for."_

_She looked up at him. "Michael your favorite bad guy?"_

"_Out of the three, yeah."_

"_Not me."_

"_No? Who's your favorite?"_

"_It's not about favorites. It's about who's the scariest and that would definitely be Freddy. He gets you in your dreams. There's no escaping him. That's terrifying. I'll be surprised if I can sleep tonight."_

"_I could keep you company." He moved his eyebrows up and down suggestively. _

"_Ha ha, I don't think so. But in all seriousness he's really scary."_

"_Baby, you've put the oldest creatures in existence on their knees without breaking a sweat or raising your pulse. You could rip Freddy Kruger apart with your eyes closed and if you didn't I would. Trust me, as long as you're with me you'll be safe. I would never let anything happen to you. I promise."_

_She blinked back tears. "You always know what to say and when to say it."_

"_That's cause I'm brilliant little witch."_

"_Can't argue with that."_

Bonnie's eyes shot open and looked around her in confusion before realizing she was in her bed and that she had just come out of the memory. The confusion had still been there but the nausea was gone…she was getting better at this. She got out of bed and slipped on a pair of leggings, converses, and grabbed her keys, phone, and wallet before letting herself quietly out of the house, as to not wake her father.

She pulled up in front of the boarding house and knocked softly before letting herself in. The house was dark and quiet. Stefan's car was missing so she was sure he was staying with Elena but Damon's was parked haphazardly in front of the garage. Her feet barely made any noise as she walked up the steps and then to Damon's bedroom door. She opened it without knocking and found him sitting in bed naked from the waist up and reading what looked like Strindberg. He didn't look at her but he did close the book and place it on the nightstand beside him before standing. He was only wearing black briefs and she was slightly distracted for a couple of seconds before she shook her head and made eye contact.

His face was void of emotion and his back was ramrod straight. "What are you doing here, Bonnie?"

"Did you apologize to Stefan for worrying him?"

"You're here to make sure I repaired my relationship with me brother? Ok. Yeah I did apologize to him. I refuse to mess up my relationship with my brother in this world like I did in our world. He forgave me and then went to spend the night with Elena."

"Good…good." She fidgeted with the bottom of her shirt and bit softly into her lower lip.

"Now that we've avoided the subject for a respectful amount of time can you answer my question? What are you doing here?"

"I pulled out another memory. We went to a drive-in with Stefan and Elena and saw a triple feature of Halloween movies. It was really sweet and innocent and we fit."

Damon just nodded but didn't respond. He knew she had more to say so he kept his mouth shut.

"I'm not going to go into some long, drawn out speech about why we wouldn't work but I still want to try because of past relationships and blah, blah, blah. I'll just cut to the chase…I want to try a real relationship with you if you still want me." She refused to lower her eyes from his but she had begun to gnaw on her lip so hard she was sure to break the skin.

"Ok. Well I won't go into some long, drawn out speech about how this is going to be work and that we're both going to have to be patient or it won't work and blah, blah, blah. I'll just say yes…I do still want you."

"So we're good?"

"Yeah we're good. You should get home. You have school pretty early and if you don't get some sleep you're going to be exhausted. I'll let you know when I have an idea of what we can do on the first date."

He led her downstairs as he spoke and opened the door for her before leaning out of the way. "Goodnight Bonnie." His smile was warm and inviting.

"Goodnight." She walked to her car and once she was inside he closed the front door. Two seconds later she was knocking on the door once again. He swung it open with a confused look.

"You forget something?"

"Yeah." She smiled and stepped forward before wrapping her hands around his neck and pulling him down. Her lips touched his softly and she felt electricity shoot through her. He kissed her back like it had been years. It was slow and explorative and solidified her choice to give them a chance.

She pulled back and then leaned in again for a quick peck. "Goodnight, Damon."

He looked slightly dazed. "Yeah….night."

She chuckled and climbed in her car before driving off.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

Her tights were magenta, her jumper was decorated in a rainbow of peacock prints, she wore black flats and a simple black cardigan with sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Her hair was in a messy bun and she had small bronze studs in her ears. She hadn't wanted to cake her face; she wanted to be herself tonight so she had only applied a little eyeliner and lip gloss. She kept checking her phone the closer it got to 7. She could admit it…she was nervous. It wasn't like she hadn't been on dates before. She had! But this was Damon and they were taking a leap that could lead to a murder/suicide if they weren't careful. On top of that she felt guilty. She knew that he was hers in this world but in their real world, Elena was probably still mourning him. She should feel god awful and she did, believe her she did, but she wanted this. She wanted to hold his hand and she wanted to fall into his laugh. She wanted a slice of Damon sans Elena even if it didn't last.

A knocked reached her ears from downstairs and she grabbed her things before heading down to open the door. She had never been so relieved that her dad was out of town. Based on her stolen memories, he wasn't a huge fan of Damon. She yanked the door open and immediately felt embarrassed over her eagerness. He was in all black put he had left the leather jacket at home. He smiled at her but she could see the nervous tick underneath.

"Hey. You ready?"

"Yep! Let's go."

She locked up behind her and walked to his car. He held the door open for her and after she climbed in he rounded the hood and got into the driver's side before pulling off.

"Excited?" He asked while tapping his thumb against the wheel

"I've been on dates before Damon." She rolled her eyes and a looked out the window at the passing trees.

"I meant are you excited about the fair? And what you and baby G.I. Joe did were not dates."

She turned back to him then with a raised eyebrow. "And what would you call them exactly?"

"Practice for the real thing?"

She chuckled and turned the radio down. "Damon have you ever been on a date?"

The look he gave her spoke volumes about what he thought of her intelligence at the moment. "You are joking, right? I've been alive for almost 200 years and slept with more women than I can count. Of course I've been on dates."

"No…it sounds like what you did was go to any measure to make sure these women were comfortable and found you unassuming so you could do whatever you wanted with them. Those were tactics, not dates. And don't even bring up Elena. You never took her on a date. You two went out as a couple after becoming official but in the beginning all you two did was screw so I'll ask again, have you ever been on a real date, Damon?"

His jaw tightened and he turned the radio back up, but refused to answer. Bonnie just shook her head at his childish nature. When they parked she didn't open the door and stopped him before he could. She placed her hand on his which rested on the gear shift. He looked at her with a questioning look.

"Dating 101: be yourself and have fun. That's it. That's all you have to do. That's what I plan on doing…can you try the same?"

"I don't know. Wouldn't that be considered a tactic to get you to do what I want?"

"Well I guess it's a good thing I only do what I want. Come on, Damon, just lower the shield a little. I know we don't exactly have the best history but we both decided to give this a shot and I want to give it my everything. I'm just asking for you to return the favor….."

She bit her lip and waited for his answer but he simply slipped his hand from beneath hers and got out of the car. She sighed heavily and started to open the door but he opened it before she could. He stuck his hand out for her to take and even after exiting the car he didn't let it go.

They were silent as they walked up to the booth to buy their tickets and walked into the fair after purchasing them. His hand was warm and strong. It held hers firmly and he began to swipe his thumb back and forth over her wrist as they made their way deeper into the fair.

They played games and he won her an overstuffed black cat to be her "familiar." When he said that with a smirk she leaned up and whispered in his ear that she would hate to make him bald because he really did have a nice full head of hair. He shoved the stuffed animal at her and called her a spoilsport.

"Bonnie!" They heard someone yelling at them and turned around to see Caroline barreling at them. She jerked Bonnie into a hard hug. "I've been calling you for like 20 minutes."

Bonnie stuck her hand in her pocket to look at her phone. She had five missed calls from both Caroline and Elena. "Oh, sorry. I had it on silent. Lena's already here too?"

"Yep. And she is not a happy camper." Caroline mock whispered to her. Tyler rolled his eyes behind her since he knew extreme gossip was about to be exchanged. He spotted Matt and practically screamed his best friend's name before running to catch up with him.

Bonnie let go of Damon's hand and inched closer towards Care. Damon crossed his arms and his mouth became pinched but he didn't move. He would wait her out.

"What happened?"

"She and Stefan got into a huge fight." Bonnie tensed slightly and turned to Damon but his face stayed devoid of any emotion. She turned back to Caroline and inched even closer.

"About what?"

"What do you think? That stupid wedding! I keep telling her that I'm willing to plan the entire thing but she just won't listen. She keeps bothering Stefan with it and he could care less about the details so he just agrees with whatever she wants."

Bonnie nodded slowly. "Which annoys Elena because it makes her feel like he doesn't actually care about it like she does?"

"Exactly!"

"But in reality he just cares about the marriage, while she cares about both the wedding and the marriage."

Caroline nodded. "Now they are actively avoiding each other while being here together." Caroline rolled her eyes and her face took on a bored expression.

"That is truly the dumbest thing I have ever heard of. Come on, let's go find her and fix it before it festers and creates a bigger problem."

"Right!"

Bonnie turned back to Damon. "I'll be back." She didn't wait for his response. She followed Care into the crowd of people to find their friend.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

Damon leaned over the bars and watched the Ferris wheel moving at a slow speed. He had been waiting for Bonnie for over 45 minutes now. He thought about just leaving her there. She could always find a ride but something had made him stay. That didn't mean he wasn't pissed and getting madder every minute. He heard husky laughter and turned to see Stefan and Elena joining the line and hanging all over each other. She was wrapped around his back and nibbling on his ear from behind. Caroline was making puke faces at their exchange and Tyler kept laughing while telling her to stop. Jeremy was talking animatedly to Matt about something who in turn was holding his stomach and try to catch his breath. Damon scowled at them and turned back to the Ferris wheel.

"You want to go on it?"

He felt Bonnie settle in beside him but he didn't turn to look at her. "I'm good. I'm guessing they made up?"

"Hmmm?"

"Elena and Stefan. Looks like you swept in and saved the day."

"Caroline and I, yeah. Once we explained that it was a childish fight to mask the real problem, they gave in and decided to talk. And now that, that's done you and I can get back to our date."

"I'll pass, but thanks." Damon pushed off the bar and walked away from her but he had only gotten a few steps before she grabbed his upper arm and pulled until he turned back to her.

Her eyes held a lot of confusion. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Of course not. Why would you think that?"

"The passive aggressive tone really doesn't suit you."

He squinted his eyes and his mouth kicked up to the side in a sly smile. "Everything suits me, precious. Why don't you go jump in line with your friends and ride with little Gilbert? I'm sure that would make him nut his pants real quick. I'm going to head home." He pulled from her grasp and walked backwards as he continued to speak to her. "Don't worry, Damon Salvatore is a man of his word. We can still stay till the end of senior year but the whole dating thing isn't a requirement anymore. I wouldn't want to inconvenience you."

He turned and started walking away from her again but stopped when she yelled at him.

"Hey! Don't walk away from me."

He turned back and had the great pleasure of seeing a pissed off witch coming at him. She screeched to a halt in front of him. She poked him in the chest as she began to speak. "You don't get to speak to me like that and just walk away. We are trying, Damon. We've already made the decision to try and I don't give up easily. And I refuse to let you do it either. You don't get to throw a little bitch fit and then just walk away. I'm not Elena."

His arms crossed over his broad chest. "I never said you were."

"No, you're just treating me like I am. I did something you didn't like so you shut me out and now you're going to go sulk and be pissed and when you're ready you'll show up on my doorstep in a few days and expect me to pretend like nothing happened."

"Don't flatter yourself. Showing up on your doorstep is the furthest thing from my mind."

She took a step back. "Fine, Damon. Make the same mistakes. Start the same cycle with me that you do with every other woman. Pretend I don't matter and become just as lonely here as you are in our world. That's your choice."

She turned away from him and started to walk back to her friends. When he spoke to her she stopped but kept her back to him. "You think you have me all figured out don't you, Bennett. Then tell me why I'm pissed at you."

She pivoted on her foot and copied his stance with her arms crossed. "I honestly don't know. You have to tell me. You have to talk to me. That's what the other Bonnie and Damon did. They talked and they had something we've only dreamed of. So tell me what I did and let me try and fix it."

He sighed and looked away from her. "This was our date and you made me feel like an outsider."

"This is because I went off with Care to talk to Elena?"

He didn't say anything. He kept silent and continued to look out at people walking around. "I wasn't dropping you, Damon. I was helping a friend."

"Okay."

"Stop doing that. Stop brushing stuff aside because you don't think you'll like what I have to say." She walked up to him and grabbed his chin to force him to look at her. Once he did she continued her speech but didn't remove her hand, though the grip lessened. "I had fun tonight. I really enjoyed our date and I wasn't abandoning it. My friend was having an issue and I wanted to help. But you know what I was thinking the entire time I was trying to talk Elena off the ledge?"

He shook his head but didn't say anything.

"I thought 'all I want to do is ride that stupid Ferris wheel with Damon.' And now because of a fight we're going to miss it."

He smiled slightly. It didn't reach his eyes but it did smooth out her edges a little. He took her hand and pulled her towards the front of the line where their friends were being let in to take their turn on the ride. Before he could say anything to the attendant, the attendant cut him off.

"I saved you and your girlfriend a seat. Your brother insisted." Damon turned to Stefan and Stefan winked at him before dragging Elena along to get strapped in. Damon smiled back and felt something settle in him that he hadn't been aware was out of place.

Bonnie pulled on his hand like a child and he followed with a reluctant gait. They were secured in their seats and then the attendant set the ride into motion. The wind whipped at Bonnie's hair softly and she smiled broadly as she tried to push it behind her ears. She turned to Damon to find him already watching her with an odd look on his face.

"What? You're not still mad are you?"

Damon shook his head and smiled a small sincere smile at her.

"Then why are you looking at me like that?" Bonnie asked while laughing.

"Just observing and having fun."

"And being yourself?"

"Definitely trying."

"Good! Dating 101." She grabbed his hand and placed the back of her head on his shoulder so she could look up at the stars as they rode. Damon leaned his cheek against the top of her head and enjoyed the ride.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

"Are you sure you don't want some of this funnel cake?"

Damon put the car in park in front Caroline's house. He was dropping Bonnie off after their date so she could have a sleepover with the girls. Elena was already there. Bonnie was getting there a few minutes later than promised because she insisted on Damon buying her a funnel cake and the line had been extremely long.

Damon turned the key so the car went dark but kept the heat going. He also turned off the radio. The car was only illuminated by the street lamp down the road. He shifted in his seat to look at her.

"No, I'm good. It seemed like it meant a lot for you to get before we left. You shouldn't have to share it."

Bonnie sighed happily and stared down at the dessert in her lap. "It was a tradition." She smiled up at him. "Grams and I used to go to the fair every year. She was the only one who would take me even when my mom was around. We would ride every ride and play only the silly games we were sure we could win. And right before we would leave to go home she would buy us a funnel cake. We never got one when we entered the fair or when we were just walking around…we only got it before we went home." She shrugged her shoulders and bit her lip to keep her eyes dry. "I guess traditions stick."

He smiled at her but stayed silent. He had never had any warm traditions with his family but this conversation wasn't about him and he didn't want to sour the moment.

She looked out of the window at Caroline's house and he thought she was going to open the door and get out but she asked him a question instead. "Why were you looking at me like that when we were on the Ferris wheel?"

She turned back and shifted so their knees were touching.

He shrugged. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

"I felt normal. I felt like him," she lifted an eyebrow in question, "I felt like the other Damon of this world. Elena and I never did stuff like that. Too human! But doing it with you tonight…it felt right."

"You were happy." It wasn't a question but he answered it anyway.

"Yeah, I guess I was." His smile was broader this time.

Her phone vibrated. Caroline had text her, telling her to come inside already.

"You should probably get going before that little pixie loses it."

Bonnie placed the funnel cake on the dash and scooted closer to Damon. "In a minute."

She slid into his lap and though he looked shock, he didn't try and stop her. She brushed her fingertips softly across his jaw and the growing stubble, and then across the soft skin of his bottom lip. He watched her intently but didn't dare move though his pants were becoming slightly tighter. She brushed his hair back from his forehead and then moved her hands to his shoulders so she could shift and get more comfortable. Once she did she came in contact with his growing lower half and her green eyes grew even larger. He rubbed circles into the center of her lower back and tried to calm himself.

"It's ok." He whispered into the darkness of the car.

She nodded and then slowly lowered her head and let her lips barely touch his. Her eyes lifted to his to see his reaction and found a look of shock but also a look of longing. She smiled and let her lips connect with his fully. They both sighed in completion and her fingers got lost in his hair as his hands tightened on her hips. She opened her mouth in invitation and his tongue swept the roof before it began to duel with her own tongue. She fisted his hair and he wrapped his arms around her body and dragged her closer to his chest.

Knock knock.

Bonnie jerked back from Damon and looked out the window to see Caroline and Elena smiling goofily at them. Bonnie sighed and looked back down at him.

"Friendship duty calls! But this is not me making you an outsider."

He squeezed her a little harder. "I know. Go ahead. Don't forget your bag."

Caroline opened the back door and grabbed the bag. "Got it!" She closed the door back and she and Elena with wine bottles in hands ran back to the house.

Bonnie got out and Damon handed her the funnel cake and her phone and keys. She closed the door and then leaned back in to look at him.

"I had a nice time."

"Even with the fight?"

Bonnie shrugged. "It wasn't our first and I doubt it'll be our last. Let's just make sure we don't fight on the second date."

"There's going to be a second date?"

"Keep up, Damon. I thought you prided yourself on being the smart brother."

"I pride myself on a lot of my attributes." He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Don't ruin the moment. I'm going to go before they come back out to get me. Make sure you come up with something great for the next date, ok?"

"Yes ma'am."

She leaned in and kissed him hard and quick. "Goodnight Mr. Salvatore."

"Goodnight little bird." She smiled warmly and then ran up to the house. She gave a little wave before closing the door behind her.

He dragged the heel of his hand across his chest where his heart used to beat and smiled before throwing his car in gear and driving off.


	8. Chapter 8

New chapter of Repose…..ehhhhh it could be so much better but I have been struggling lately. It's 1 in the morning so I don't have anything witty to contribute but I hope you guys at least don't hate this. Also I hope everyone is ready for the new episodes of Vampire Diaries…I know I am!

P.S. A special shout out to jordanjanellejoy…you are there for each and every one of my stories and I am so grateful. You just don't get it! As a writer having someone always on your side is the ultimate pat on the back so thank you!

P.P.S. In fact a shout out to everyone who keeps giving me a chance and keeps reading my stuff and finding something they like even when I think I've written complete and utter trash!

Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries, its characters, or its ideas and content.

Chapter 8

"So I was thinking we should do a group costume?"

Elena made a face at Caroline. The three girls were sitting in the Salvatore living room watching Buffy, working on papers, and discussing Halloween costumes for the party that Caroline and Tyler were throwing at his home.

"Like two halves of a horse?"

Caroline gave her a face like she thought Elena was being rather stupid. "There are three of us, Lena."

"Oh yeah….."

"Stop being a bitch, Care." Caroline lifted her shoulders at what Bonnie had said and looked as if she had done no wrong. "What did you have in mind?"

"Hmmm I don't know. How about something sexy like Josie and the Pussycats?"

Bonnie and Elena locked eyes and then burst out laughing. "I don't think that's exactly sexy, Care."

"Um it would be if I dressed us. Skin tight jumpsuits, kitten heels, a little tail and kitten ears. We would be super hot!"

Elena shook her head. "I'm not dressing up like a giant cat."

"Come on! Stefan would think it was super hot! Don't tell me he doesn't like role play. Every guy does!"

Elena answered involuntarily without looking up from her book. "He likes the professor and the student." The room went quiet and when she looked up her best friends were staring at her with slack jaws. "I didn't mean to say that out loud."

Caroline scooted forward and grabbed a pillow to squeeze. "Explain!"

"Care…."

Bonnie tossed her book on the table and scooted forward too. "Nope. No avoiding this time. We want to know."

"Fine!" Elena got up and sat in the middle of her friends. "We keep this between us, ok?"

Her friends nodded enthusiastically. Elena looked around her in vain to make sure the boys were truly gone. Stefan had gone to hunt and Damon had gone with him. Tyler was at football practice. She whispered her next words though it wasn't necessary.

"So I wear a plaid skirt and I have to call him Professor Salvatore. And he punishes me with rulers."

Bonnie's mouth dropped open. "Stefan?! No!"

"Yep!" Elena covered her mouth and giggled.

Caroline turned fully to them and hugged her pillow. "Tyler likes to hunt me."

They both turned to her in shock. Bonnie sputtered out her next words. "What does that even mean?"

"Now that he can control it a lot better, thanks Bon, he'll lower his canines and his eyes will turn yellow and he'll chase me. I don't use my super speed so he can catch me easily. We do it in the house sometimes but we really love doing it in the woods behind his house. There is nothing like getting done against a tree." She had a faraway look on her face as she thought about it and a smile lit up her face.

"And I am officially freaked out!" Bonnie said while laughing nervously.

Caroline looked around Elena to Bonnie. "What about you and Damon?"

Bonnie shook her head in confusion. "What about us?"

Caroline gave her an annoyed look and Elena just looked curious. "Really? We shared our naughty secrets. You have to too."

Elena nodded enthusiastically. "It's only fair Bon."

"You guys know I'm still a virgin."

Care gave her a duh look. "I would hope you were because neither of us have been told of the sordid affair of losing it. I just mean you guys must do something. We definitely heard you on the last night of our trip so we know you're not completely innocent, Bonnie Bennett."

Bonnie's mouth dropped open. "You heard us?"

Elena looked down sheepishly. "More like heard you."

Bonnie covered her face in embarrassment. "Oh my god! I knew we weren't being that quiet but I was drunk and kind of forgot to care."

"The point is you guys have obviously upgraded from just making out and your two best friends want details."

"There's really nothing to tell. We had a drunken moment against a wall and that's it besides the making out."

"So you guys haven't progressed past that?" Caroline looked disappointed.

"Not yet."

"Do you want to?" Elena asked.

Bonnie bit her lip and really thought about the question. She and Damon were progressing. They had been on a few dates in the past couple of weeks and they were working hard at the relationship they were building. It was still very rocky. He still had major walls that weren't coming down very easily and she was still dealing with the jealousy of him and Elena and her longing for Jeremy. They were a mess but they were a mess that was determined to have better in this world than they did in their own. They were still tentative about the level of intimacy. The kisses were a little more intense and they would hold hands for no reason at all but ever since the wall incident almost two months ago they hadn't done anything truly sexual. He wasn't pushing her to and if she was honest she didn't think he would. He was careful about keeping his feelings under wraps but she was pretty sure she scared him and that he wouldn't want to aid to the uneasy feeling by adding sex to the mix. She could admit that she was terrified of being intimate with him. She had only had one lover in their world and he wasn't very experienced so she hadn't learned much and on top of that she was pretty sure she was a virgin again so she would be giving something very precious to Damon that she wasn't sure he deserved yet. Yes she was scared but a small part of her was also curious. She wanted to be with him. She was more than a little attracted to him. And she wanted to know what it felt like to have him inside of her but it was something that wouldn't be happening, if ever, for a long time.

"Of course I do. But I want to wait until I'm sure and I don't want to suck at it."

Elena patted her knee. "You won't suck at it and I'm sure he'll give you time to learn."

Caroline chimed in. "Besides you're a girl, you don't really need to do anything. Just lie there." She popped a strawberry, from the bowl on the table, in her mouth and smiled broadly.

"I feel like I have to do more than that. Maybe you guys could give me some pointers."

They opened their mouths to speak but were interrupted when the brothers walked into the room.

"Pointers on what?" Damon asked as he poured himself and Stefan a drink.

"Nothing—" Bonnie started to say but Caroline interrupted her.

"Sex." She continued to chew on her fruit while Elena and Bonnie gave her death stares.

Damon's face became emotionless as he took a seat. "Oh yeah?"

Bonnie fidgeted and Elena got up and yanked Caroline off the couch with her. "We should get going. Come on Care, Stefan and I can drop you off at Tyler's on our way to the restaurant."

Care looked confused but nodded and grabbed her things. Elena made a call me signal to Bonnie who nodded before she followed Caroline out the door. Stefan turned to his brother whose face was still cold and unmoving. "Elena and I should be out late. We'll make sure to be quiet when we get back." Damon merely nodded back and Stefan took that as a nice dismissal.

When the door closed behind them Bonnie picked up the bowl of strawberries, turned Buffy back on, and began to eat with vigor while ignoring Damon's stare.

"You're really going to just sit there and ignore me?"

"I'm not ignoring you, Damon. I'm watching tv."

He got out of his chair and turned the tv off before sitting back down again. Bonnie turned in her seat to look at him. "Okay…..I guess we're talking. What's up?"

"You were discussing our sex life with Elena and mouth everlasting?"

"Don't call her that and yes I was though technically I was talking about our nonexistent sex life."

"I wasn't aware that was something that needed to be discussed."

"It doesn't need to be but talking to my friends about it is allowed. Right?"

"Wrong. You should be discussing it with me. You've never mentioned anything to me about our, as you put it, nonexistent sex life but you were quick to discuss it with them."

"We're girls, Damon. That's what we do."

"You remember on our first date how you were upset that I didn't talk openly about what was bothering me and how you said that we have to talk and let each other in for this to work? Well it's amazing to me that I have to follow one set of rules while you get to follow another. You didn't come to me with concerns or worries. You went straight to them. If I have to grow up then so do you Bon Bon. I'm going to go take a shower and wash the stench of dead squirrel off of me. You come up to talk when you mature a little bit."

He left the room with a confused and annoyed Bonnie staring holes in his back.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

The water was scolding hot on his back. His back would turn bright red and sensitive and two seconds later it would heal. He needed a few minutes away from Bonnie. He had been irrational. He could feel himself falling for her and it made him want to find something, anything to paint her in a bad light. Though he hadn't been entirely wrong. According to Bonnie any problems or concerns that he had, had to be addressed right away. He wasn't allowed to have secrets…he had to be an open book which went against everything that he was. But she could share her woes with everyone, his feelings be damned. He was fed up and hoped when he got of the shower she was gone but luck was rarely on his side. When he walked out of his bathroom with his towel tied around his waist, she was sitting Indian style on his bed with her shoes off.

He leaned against his closed bathroom door and gave her a pointed cold look. "I'm not in the mood, Bonnie."

"You told me to come up and talk when I matured a little bit….."

"And you happened to mature on the walk up the steps? Now that's magic." He ripped the towel from his lower half and stalked into the closet.

Bonnie's face was unmoving. She didn't even react to his nudeness but inside she was hyperventilating. "Can you stop walking away from me please?"

She waited for his answer but was only met with silence. She huffed and threw her legs off the bed before walking into the closet with him. He, thankfully, had on pants but he was faced away from her trying to choose a shirt. She closed the door and leaned against so he couldn't get past her. It was his best tactic and she didn't mind stealing it.

"I talked to them because they are my friends and because, frankly, they're girls. I can talk to them about sex stuff. I can't talk to you about that stuff especially because we are nowhere near that stage. If and when that becomes an actual issue I will come to you, I promise."

He turned to her with a black shirt hanging from his hand and gave her a bland look. "That was a bullshit explanation but whatever. I'm going drinking with Alaric. I'll call you tomorrow." He tried to walk around her but she wouldn't move. "Bon I'm truly not in the mood. Move before I move you."

"I'd like to see you try." She put her hands on her hips. "You want to talk about it? Ok let's talk."

"No. I'm done with this conversation. It's over. We're moving on. I'll call you tomorrow. Now move."

"I'm scared, ok?"

He dropped the shirt, crossed his arms, and let out a heavy sigh while leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling.

"I don't care….."

"Yes you do. You care more than you would like to admit. I am scared. We are getting closer. We have a long way to go but it's not like we're not both willing to keep fighting for this relationship. And if we keep going eventually you will want more. Eventually you will want something that I'm frankly scared to give you."

He lowered his head and locked eyes with her. "When have I ever made you think that was something you were required to give me?"

"I'm not saying that. I know I'm not required. It's just a natural occurrence in a relationship. And I'm nervous about it."

He approached her and stopped a mere couple of inches from her. "You have had sex before, correct? With the reject Thor?"

She chuckled and nodded. "Yeah. Only a couple of times though and we didn't do too much….."

"So completely vanilla?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Vanilla?"

His chuckle was low and rolled over her skin with a weight she couldn't deny. "Simple and basic. Tame. Or as I like to call it boring. Let me ask you something? Has baby Gilbert ever done anything like what we did against that wall?"

She bit her lip and shook her head no.

"But you liked it right?"

She looked down at her shoes. "Yes."

"I think you would like to be controlled." Her head snapped up. He was a lot closer to her than he had been before. He kept approaching until she was practically a part of the door. He lifted his fingertips and trailed them across her collarbone and whispered his next words. "I think based on your strong personality you would actually enjoy a man taking control behind closed doors. I can do that. I would like to do that. We can start out slow and progress…toys and rope and beads. Maybe some spanking. You would like that wouldn't you, Bon Bon?"

She was breathing heavily and could barely nod. He leaned down and kissed her lips lightly before nipping at her bottom lip. He leaned in until his lips were touching her ear. "Good. And one day we'll try all those things but not today." He stepped back, putting plenty of space between them. Bonnie's face held a lot of confusion.

"I don't understand….."

He bent down and pulled his shirt over his head before moving pass her and out of the closet. She followed behind him. He picked up his keys and phone before turning back to her. "I want you Bonnie. I'm not going to act like I don't to spare your feelings. I want to fuck you and if that scares you I'm sorry but you asked me to be honest. With that being said I'm not going to pressure you into anything so you have no reason to be nervous. When that happens it'll be you asking me."

"You think so? I seriously doubt it."

"I don't and don't worry I won't say I told you so. The point is stop worrying about it and just enjoy what we're doing right now. Ok?"

She nodded. He gave her a quick kiss and opened the door to leave the room but turned back to say one last comment. "But remember Bon that doesn't mean we can't enjoy a little foreplay. I've always wondered what you taste like." He closed the door in her shocked face before she could even utter a syllable.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

"Bonnie! Damon! Come on!"

Caroline, Stefan, and Elena were waiting downstairs for the couple. Caroline was Alice and Tyler was the Mad Hatter. Stefan was The Huntsman and Elena was Snow White. Caroline was quite happy with their couple costumes even if she hadn't been able to pick the other two couples exact costumes. As soon as Damon and Bonnie were done they would head over to the Lockwood estate where Tyler already had the party underway.

Bonnie checked out herself one more time in the mirror. Her little lace, sleeveless black dress stopped mid-thigh with a petticoat underneath, she had black thigh-high stockings on, and high-heeled Mary Janes. Her hair was in big ringlet curls, her eye makeup was black on top of black while her lips were blood red. She had a blood red cape with hood tied around her neck. She liked the outcome. A knock sounded at the bathroom door and she opened it without a second thought. Damon was standing there in a black suit with matching vest and tie. He had fake fangs in his mouth since he couldn't extend his without the veins showing up around his eyes. He had in yellow contacts and fake long animal like claws applied to his real nails. He turned his head to the side to study her.

"I like." His grin was saucy.

She lifted an eyebrow. "You're not too bad either."

"Thanks but I don't find it too hilarious that you chose to make me a wolf. Actually I find it downright insulting."

She pushed past him to grab her basket off of his bed with a sheepish look on her face. "I wanted to be Little Red Riding Hood so you had to be the wolf. If it makes you feel any better I like this look."

She felt a rush of wind and turned around to him only with a hair's space between them. "It makes me feel positively wolfish." He smiled and moved his eyebrows up and down suggestively.

She pushed his chest hard and laughed. "You are so corny!" She opened his bedroom door but turned at the last minute to look at him. "If you wear it without complaining, I'll make out with you in the woods just like Red and the real wolf would have done."

He chuckled. "Promises, promises! I'm going to hold you to that little lady."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

Caroline, Elena, and Bonnie were dancing in the middle of the room. The house was packed with angels, demons, vampires, witches, and one random twinkie. The party had been going on for hours and it was already 1 in the morning and the party was still going strong. Damon hadn't gotten the chance to dance with Bonnie yet but he had been watching her all night. She was beautiful as she twirled in a circle with a huge smile on her face. He hadn't seen her this happy in their world…it was baffling how carefree she seemed here without all the baggage on her shoulders. They had been spending a lot of time together and with each passing day he was learning more and more parts of what made her, her. She was so much more than he had realized and he couldn't wait to know more. He had also been trying to let her lead the way…he had kept his hands to himself but seeing her in this barely there dress was making him a little hot, which is why he hadn't touched her, even for a dance since arriving at the party.

"If you stare any harder at her, you're going to burn a hole right through her."

Damon smiled and sipped at his drink while turning to his best friend. "Ric."

Damon poured Ric a drink and passed it to him. "Why don't you just go ask her to dance?"

Damon shook his head. "She's having fun. Don't want to interrupt it."

"I honestly never thought this would happen. I'm always shocked by it."

"Shocked by what, exactly?"

"How much you love her." Damon's brow wrinkled slightly but Ric continued anyway. "I remember who you two used to be. The disdain between you two was never ending. I was sure that if you ended up with anyone it would be Elena." Damon choked slightly on his drink.

"What?"

"You seemed to love Elena and I actually believed it was the real deal and then I saw you with Bonnie for the first time after you made your relationship public and I realized there was no way in hell you would have ever been with Elena?"

"And why is that?"

"It's simple really…Bonnie's your soul mate. Anyone can see that. I guess she got tired of waiting."

Damon looked confused. "Huh?"

Ric nodded forward which made Damon turn to the approaching witch. She didn't say anything. She smiled at Ric and took the drink out of Damon's hand before leading him out to the middle of the dance floor. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong were singing The Nearness of You and couples were intertwined. Bonnie slipped her arms around his neck and smiled up at him.

"This music doesn't really go along with the theme of the night."

"I'm aware but I wanted a slow dance with my boyfriend so….."

"Yeah well dog boy doesn't look too happy about it."

Bonnie turned to see Tyler complaining to Caroline. Bonnie shrugged a small shoulder and continued to dance. "He'll get over it. Did you have fun tonight?"

"It wasn't the worst night I've ever had. Even if I was dressed as a wolf for hours."

"I just wanted to pay homage to my first memory a little bit."

Damon nodded and pulled Bonnie closer. "This is a lot better than our decades dance."

"Yeah well I don't hate you as much as I did back then. You're less of a jackass."

"And you're not that big of a pain anymore. I guess we've both grown."

He twirled her out and then pulled her back in at a speed that took her breath away. "Now how about we go outside and make out like horny teenagers for a couple of minutes?" He moved his eyebrows up and down.

She threw her head back and laughed. "Why not?!"

She let him lead her outside where he leaned her against the house in a shaded spot and kissed her thoroughly for the rest of the party.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

They hadn't seen much of each other in the past month. She had been studying like crazy for finals and when she wasn't doing that she was spending time with her dad, who was going to be gone for a couple of weeks leading up to Christmas. Damon had seen her at Thanksgiving but her dad had been there and he wasn't the couple's biggest fan so they hadn't had much alone time. In total they had seen each other three times in the month of November. Once her dad left at the beginning of December, Damon was sure he could get some alone time with her but after texting her and getting no reply, he was informed by Elena that Bonnie had the flu and she was at home asleep so he decided he should be the perfect example of a boyfriend and go make her well.

Bonnie awoke to loud banging at her front door that seemed to start at the base of her skull. She flung the three blankets off of her body and walked to the door in a fever induced haze before flinging the door open. Damon stood on the other side with a huge smile on his face and both hands full of plastic bags. His face instantly scrunched up when he saw her.

"Bon Bon this is indeed not your finest hour…"

Bonnie didn't even think about it. She slammed the door in his face and walked back to the couch, laid down, and threw the covers over her body including her head. She had just let her heavy eyelids slide shut when she heard the front door open again and then close before being bolted. She heard Damon walk into the kitchen before the opening and closing of cabinets began. She threw the blankets off again and walked into the kitchen, stopping short to stare at him.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked, barely shoving the words pass her sore throat.

Damon gave her a duh face. "Making soup, of course."

"But why are you making soup in my kitchen?" She dragged her hands through her hair and leaned against the doorway to gather her strength.

He sat a pot on the stove and then began removing vegetables and raw chicken from the plastic bags. "Well the soup is obviously for you. Oh…that reminds me!" He dug through one of the bag and pulled out a ginger ale and handed it to her. She looked at it, then at the chicken he was cutting, and then at his serious face.

"You came over to make me soup?"

He stopped cutting and gave her a blank look. "You are the one with the flu, right?"

"Yeah…."

"Then…" He waved his hand that held the knife in a circular motion before he began cutting again. "Why don't you go lie down on the couch, drink that," he pointed at the soda in her hand, "and watch a movie?" He held out another bag for her and inside were a plethora of movies in every genre but the most important part was that they were all movies she had mentioned that she liked. "Pick whichever. I don't care either way. I'll bring out your soup when it's done."

He put his head back down and continued to prepare the ingredients for the chicken noodle soup but after a few seconds of feeling her staring at him he raised an eyebrow and gave her a questioning look. "Yes?"

She walked further into the kitchen and sat down at the island, opposite of him. She put her cheek in her upturned hand as her elbow rested against the cool marble and studied him. He dried his hands on a towel and slung it over his shoulder before crossing his arms and observing her. "I feel like you have something important on your mind Bon Bon."

"Did you do this for Elena?"

"Did I do what for Elena?"

"Did you make her soup when she was sick? In fact have you ever made anyone soup when they were sick?"

He thought long and hard. "Yeah, actually, I have." He started cutting up the vegetables without continuing.

"Who?"

"Oddly enough…Stefan."

"Vampires get sick?" She scrunched up her little nose in confusion and Damon swore he had never seen anything cuter.

"No. It was when we were human."

She used her hand to indicate that he should continue. He turned his back on her to but the broth in the pot and began adding spices to it. He spoke without turning back to her. "After my mother died my father retreated from us even more. He was never a big fan of mine, as you know, but he had always been involved in Stefan's life, but after her death he couldn't be bothered. He also started changing how my mother ran the house so he shortened the staff. Well there was this one time that Stefan got sick. Who knows what he had…back then you could be put on bedrest for breathing in too much damn dust. My father had a doctor come in and check him and after the doctor told him it wasn't life threatening, Father, basically told him to get over it. Wouldn't really let the staff take care of him…claimed they had more important things to do so I took care of him. Made sure he bathed regularly, always made sure he had a cold cloth on his head, and I taught myself to make chicken noodle soup so he would have something to eat. He couldn't keep anything else down. So yeah, I've done this before." He finished adding all the ingredients and covered the pot before turning back to her.

She had a sweet smile on her face. "You were a good brother."

His face became pinched and he put his head down. "Yeah, well not anymore." He began wrapping up the trash to throw away. She knew he wanted to be done with the conversation but she wanted to know more and he so rarely shared parts of himself.

"You're a good brother now, too, Damon. I've seen it. And I don't mean in this world…I've seen it in ours. If you weren't you wouldn't be here with me because you would have never chosen to die to bring Stefan back. Why did you do that? Be honest."

He still had his head down. "Because he's my brother." He looked her in the eye and she saw the honesty.

"There you go! You love him. You always have. Sometimes we get stuck in certain feelings and we can't see our way out of them but that doesn't make us bad people. You were jealous of Stefan and it took over your life but you can change that, in this world, and one day in ours. First you need to stop beating yourself up about the past and forgive yourself."

"Easier said than done, little witch."

She smiled slowly. "I didn't say it was easy. I said you need to do it."

He nodded. "Did you ever want siblings growing up?"

She bit her lip while she thought about it. "Yeah, I used to, especially after my mom left. My dad worked all the time and I wanted someone that would understand what I was going through. My best friends didn't. Both of their parents were still together; Caroline's parents didn't break up until years later. I don't really wish for it anymore."

"Why not?"

She shrugged her shoulder and her answer was completely matter of fact. "Everyone I love dies." She grabbed the bag of movies and stood. "Let's go watch a movie."

She walked out before he could answer. She was more damaged than she ever let on. She didn't complain like Elena, she just accepted fate and went with the flow and he found her strength inspiring.

She was already sitting on the couch, wrapped in a blanket looking through the movies when he sat down beside her. He knew she didn't want to carry on the conversation and no matter what he said she wouldn't so he changed the subject. "What are we thinking?" He asked indicating the movies with a nod of his head.

"Ooohhh! Definitely this one!" She jumped up before he could see which one she had picked. He had brought a variety but he was prepared to hit his head against a wall as they watched some sappy love story. But once the music started he knew a romantic movie was not in their future. She sat down beside him again, wrapped the blanket around her and snuggled into his side.

He wrapped his arm around her and put his feet on the coffee table. "Jurassic Park, really?"

"I love it! Don't you love it?"

She looked up at him with a sweet smile and a pink, raw nose. She sniffled a little bit and snuggled into him more. "I do." He kissed her nose softly.

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"I can't believe he left them! What a coward!"

"I would have left them." Damon said and laughed.

She shook her head in the negative. "That's not true! If Stefan and Elena were in that car there is no way you would have left them to be eaten."

"You might be slightly right. How did she think a blinding light was going to help them?"

"She's a child."

"Excuses!"

She elbowed him in the ribs and then let out a giant laugh when the girl screamed after seeing the T-Rex. "One of my favorite parts!"

"And I'm the soulless creature?" That made her laugh even harder.

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She was on her second bowl of soup as they watched the raptors breaking into the kitchen. Damon was intensely watching the scene.

Around the food in her mouth Bonnie spoke. "The raptors were always my favorite even though they were also the scariest."

"Which is why they're the best. They remind me of vampires."

Bonnie turned to him. "How so?"

"Calculated, cold, strategic. Just like vampires."

"The only correlation I see is that they seem to get joy out of killing and eating people."

"Well that too!" He plucked a piece of chicken from her bowl and she slapped his hand.

"I think they're more like witches, personally."

"They are nothing like witches! The T-Rex maybe, with all his clonking around, but not the raptors."

"The raptors are survivors. They're quick to learn and refuse to back down from a fight even when their opponent is bigger and stronger. They are just like witches."

"They are not like witches, Bonnie. They're like you."

She paused it, sat her bowl down, and turned to him completely. "What does that mean?"

He leaned back into the couch and got more comfortable. "Bonnie most witches are like vampires. They are selfish and self-obsessed. They rarely use their magic to help others, which is cool. I'm not faulting them but not you. You live to help others. You genuinely want to save the world. I mean, just look at what you want to major in, in college!"

"What's wrong with psychology?"

"Nothing at all! But it's just another way for you to fix the world. You learn quick and you refuse to back down from a fight, regardless if it's physical or psychological. You are like a raptor…not witches."

She laughed and shook her head. "You think too highly of me, Damon."

He gave her a questioning look.

"You think that I've made it my lot in life to save and fix everyone and that it never brings me any turmoil to put all that on my shoulders but I can't tell you the amount of times I've thought about running away and not telling anybody where I was going. I'm not always brave and a fighter. Sometimes I'm a weak coward and I just want to give up. Sometimes I want to be a regular human with no responsibilities and I haven't been that since I was sixteen and found out I was a witch. I would like just a night of doing something completely human or at least a night where I got to be a selfish, self-obsessed witch who only used her magic on herself."

She turned back to her soup and hit the play button on the remote. She always did that, he noticed. Whenever she revealed something about herself that she deemed weak she would stop the conversation before a conversation could even begin.

He studied her profile as she blew her nose and continued to watch the movie. He decided then and there that he would do something for her. He would make her wishes possible.

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"A real one would have been better!"

"And who was going to clean up the mess that, that made, huh?!"

Stefan and Elena watched from the couch as Bonnie and Damon argued over the tree that they had just put up.

"Well we all know it wouldn't have been you!"

Bonnie crossed her arms and gave him a hard look. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"We both know you've never cleaned anything a day in your life, sweetheart."

Within seconds Damon was on the ground clutching his head. "Are you calling me a slob?"

"You said it! Not me!" Damon said thru clenched teeth.

She applied more pain and he started screaming her name. "Stop it! I take it back!"

She smiled blissfully. "Good boy! Now help me put the star on top."

He stood and gave her a death stare. "How is that fair? You can use your mojo on me but if I even thought about using my vampire stuff on you, you would cook me alive!"

She patted his face lightly. "That's how relationships work! Plus I have an odd feeling you get off on it a little bit….."

He smiled slyly. "A little bit?"

She chuckled and shook her head. "You are so creepy! Now lift me!"

He huffed and bent down to wrap his hands around her legs from behind and then lifted her so she could reach the top of the tree. She shoved it on a branch and adjusted it so it looked right. "Ok, done!"

He threw her slightly in the air so she would twist and her front would be facing him and then caught her. She let out a shocked shriek and grabbed his shoulders when he caught her. "What was that?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I wanted to see your face."

"Well you scared the shit out of me!"

"I don't know why. I would never drop you." He let her slide down his body slowly and he heard as well as felt her intake of breath. When her feet made contact with the floor he pulled her in and kissed her soundly before turning to the faux white tree covered in colorful balls and white lights. "Though a real tree would have been better, it's not too bad."

She patted his chest affectionately and then pulled away to take a seat on the couch opposite the other couple that she had secretly forgotten about. Damon plopped down beside her before looking forward to acknowledge Stefan and Elena. The couple was staring at them with puzzled looks.

"What?" Damon asked.

Stefan smiled and shook his head. "The two of you are very odd."

"How?" Bonnie asked as she pulled her legs up under her.

"You two just went from having an argument to holding each other and kissing. I can barely follow it."

"We weren't having an argument." Bonnie said in confusion.

"Yeah our arguments end in destroyed furniture and burnt hair." Damon laughed and Bonnie winked at him.

Elena gave them a judging face and then changed the subject. "So Care and Tyler will be here around dinner time so I thought we could order in and then watch Home Alone all night and then up early to open presents."

"Bon and I can participate until about 10 tonight."

Bonnie raised an arched brow and turned to him in question. "Why? We don't have any plans."

"Sure we do! I just haven't shared them with you."

"Damon…"

"It's a surprise and though I hate them with a burning passion you're just going to have to accept it and wait. Now…where are we hanging the mistletoe?"

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The three girls were taking up one couch while covered in a thick white blanket. The fire was going and they had just started Home Alone 2. They had finished dinner over an hour ago. The Salvatore boys each took up one corner of a couch while nursing glasses of brandy and Tyler was on the floor leaning against Caroline as she massaged his head. Tyler seemed to be really into the movie but the brothers had been making comments under their breaths and making faces at each other the whole time. Bonnie acted like she was annoyed but if she was being honest, seeing the brothers like that was warming her heart. She loved that they were so close in this world.

Damon whispered something to Stefan and stood up abruptly before sticking his hand out for Bonnie. She looked at his hand in annoyance because he was blocking the tv.

"Move. I can't see the movie."

"Movie's over little castor. Time to go!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her from the couch.

Bonnie's mouth became pinched. "I'd really rather stay and finish it."

"Don't care! Get your stuff so we can go woman." He turned her away from him and tapped her butt softly to get her going. She yelped before giving him a death stare and walking away to grab her coat.

"Enjoy yourselves but not too much. Stefan keep my house clean." Damon spoke to the entirety of the room but everyone ignored him but Stefan.

Stefan merely smiled, with the knowledge of what Damon was planning. "I'll keep it clean as long as you don't get yourself into too much trouble."

"We'll be deep in the woods. Nobody will even notice."

Everyone's faces held confusion and Elena was about to ask what they were talking about when Bonnie walked back in looking annoyed. "Ready. Let's get this over with."

"That's my girl! Tata everyone."

Bonnie waved goodbye and deeply regretted the fact that she couldn't stay parked on the couch as Damon dragged her out of the house.

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"Damon where are we going exactly? We've been driving for at least 45 minutes."

"Just a little secluded place. I want us away from Mystic Falls for a little bit.

Bonnie turned completely in her seat to look at him. "What are you planning? Something I'm going to have to clean up later."

"How about you just sit back and relax. We'll be there soon."

Five minutes later Damon turned down a clearing in the woods that led them deeper into a forest. Once they were completely hidden from the outside world he stopped and put the car in park. Bonnie looked around in confusion.

"Come on!" Damon hopped out and waited for her to follow him. She got out slowly…not sure what was happening. The headlights were still on and she stepped in front of them to look at him.

He slipped his hand into hers. "So as you can see we are virtually in the middle of nowhere. I promise there is a reason and it's not to hide your body where no can find it."

Bonnie gave him a stern look. "So not funny. Damon seriously this place is creeping me out. What's going on?"

"Ok. Do you remember how you told me that you wanted a night where you could just be a witch that used her magic on herself?"

Bonnie lifted an eyebrow in question.

"When you had the flu."

"Oh yeah! Yeah I remember that. What about it?"

He pushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear before rubbing his finger down her cheek. "Well Merry Christmas." His smile was genuine and full.

"I don't understand."

He held up a finger and then walked back around to the driver's side to dig something out from beneath the seat. He was back in front of her within seconds, holding a necklace. Hanging from the chain was a circle made up of bronze and inside the circle was a tree with four distinct branches of leaves. Each set of leaves were different colored stones to represent the elements: clear for air, green for earth, blue for water, and red for fire.

"This is the tree of life."

She gave him a duh look. "Yeah Damon I know."

"Ahhhh but what you don't know is that thousands of years ago druids use to have these tattooed on their bodies or they would have them placed on chains or rings so they could carry them everywhere they went, to influence nature for their own purposes. A witch's link to nature is common knowledge but without intensive training and opening doors to darker magic, controlling all the elements completely and easily is not possible unless you have a real tree of life, not some knock off. And I happen to have the connections to get the real thing." He slipped the chain over her head and the tree settled snuggly against her heart. She felt warmth entire her body from where the necklace touched and it slowly spread through her body, lighting up each individual nerve. She let out a short burst of air as the magic attached to her insides. Once it settled she lifted her tear filled eyes to Damon.

"Thank you." She whispered before placing her hands on either side of his face and pulling him in for a long hard kiss. She pulled back slightly, their lips still touching. "I can't explain how grateful I am."

He smiled and shook his head. "No but you can show me? Take it for a spin." He stepped back and set down on the hood of his car. She looked at him confused. "We're in the middle of nowhere Bon and you can now control everything out here. There is a pond behind you and trees everywhere. Be a witch that uses her magic just for herself."

"This is your present to me?"

"Yep. Have fun. I'll be waiting here when you're done."

Bonnie laughed and turned in a circle as the idea overwhelmed her. "Ummm I guess light first….." She lifted her hand and a branch flew to her which she immediately stuck in the ground. Several followed it, five on each side of her and then she blew on her outstretched hand in their direction and they lit on fire. Everything was instantly illuminated.

"A little wind…." She turned her index finger in a circle to symbolize a tornado and suddenly wind was rushing around her, lifting her hair from her shoulders.

"Do you think I can control all of them at the same time?" She asked Damon. He shrugged a shoulder and smiled at her.

"Try it out."

She nodded and swallowed hard. She stuck one hand out towards the pond and the water started to roll forward, creating small waves. At the same time she placed her other palm above the ground and vines started crawling out of the ground at a small pace.

"Give it a little more juice." He winked at her. "You can do this Bon."

She inhaled deeply and let herself go. The flames skyrocketed pass her head, the wind picked up until the trees were fighting to stay in place, the waves picked up and the water lifted and made a cyclone, and the vines knitted together and a tree began to form climbing higher and higher. She was laughing and her eyes were shiny and for the first time she felt like a witch. Her magic felt like a gift and she never wanted the feeling to stop. Damon was watching with a look of awe. He was entranced. Her magic had always lured him in but for the first time he was seeing what she could really do. Yes the tree of life was helping but it merely opened up the gifts of the wearer. One still had to have extraordinary power to control an element completely and controlling all four was practically unheard of. She was one of a kind and he regretted that she had to die just to really live.

Her laughter stopped and she lowered her hands and everything but the flames came to a slow crawl before stopping. The flames were smaller, lower but still there.

She turned to Damon with a peaceful look.

"Why did you stop?"

She held out a hand for him. "Come here."

He hopped off the hood and took her hand. She placed her hand on his chest above his heart and lifted her eyes to his. "This is the most precious gift anyone has ever given me. Not the pendent, though I love it, but the permission to just be Bonnie Bennett. You don't understand how big of a deal that is. Every day I learn a little more about who you really are and every day I'm grateful that you're mine and not hers in this world. That might be selfish but right now I can't seem to care." She leaned up and pecked him on the lips. "And since you let me be completely Bonnie I want to let you be completely Damon. You told me once that you missed being normal. You miss who you were before Katherine so…." She pressed her palm against his chest and his eyes went wide and his breathing became unsteady as his heart began to beat.

"How?" He croaked out.

"I can control all things nature and that extends a little bit into human bodies. I have to keep my hand on your chest for it to work but I thought you deserved to feel it again. I'm sure you've missed it. Merry Christmas, Damon."

He smiled weakly and leaned his forehead against hers while placing his own hand over the one that rested against his heart. "Don't move it, please. Just for a few minutes."

She nodded against his head. "I won't."

He kissed her and the wind wrapped around them and the trees swayed in their direction and the flames tried to kiss the sky.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey guys! New chapter. I'm iffy on it but I wanted to put it out anyway. I'm not watching the last season of Vampire Diaries but I will forever be a bamon fan so no matter how long it takes I'm still going to finish my stories. To the people who messaged me about this story thank you so much for appreciating what I do even if it takes me forever to update.

Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries, its characters, or its content.

Chapter 9

Bonnie's eyes popped open and she stuck her hand under her pillow to grab her vibrating phone. In a sleep filled daze she clicked the answer button.

"Hello?" She croaked.

"Hello my Bon Bon."

She turned over onto her back with a huff. "Damon why are you calling me so late?"

"Do you want me to be honest?"

She pushed her hand through her hair. "Always."

"I might miss you a little bit. I haven't had any alone time with you in two weeks between your dad and your friends. I'm getting slightly annoyed and that's never good for anyone."

"And what do you want me to do about it?"

"Your dad flew out last night, right?"

A small smile made her mouth upturn on one side. "He did….."

"Come over."

She looked over her shoulder at the clock. "Damon, it's 3 in the morning."

"Tomorrow is Saturday so no school. Come over or I can come get you."

She sat up and pushed her hair behind her back. "What will happen when I come over?"

"I don't know, Bon. We could gossip about boys and braid each other's hair."

"Damon…." She said sternly.

"Look I just want to see you and spend some time with you uninterrupted. We can do whatever you want. Now…yay or nay?"

She took a deep breath and thought about the fact that she was going to her boyfriend's house at 3 in the morning and what that meant. If she was being honest, however, she missed him a lot so she quickly made up her mind. "Yay. Give me 30 minutes."

"30 minutes?"

"I'm going to take a shower and then I'll be over. See you soon."

She hung up before he could protest.

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Knock. Knock.

Damon corked his decanter and walked leisurely to the front door before swinging it open. Bonnie stood on the other side with a high, messy bun, black yoga pants, a form fitting white v-neck and low top converse. She held her keys and phone in one hand. And of course Damon was in his usual black. He tapped the door with the fingers that held it open and observed Bonnie slowly from head to toe.

She rolled her eyes even as a small smile graced her lips. "Are you going to let me in or just keep staring at me?"

He didn't say a word. He just stepped back with a coy smile so she could walk pass him. She walked straight to the couch and sat down before prying off her shoes and bringing her legs up to sit Indian style.

"Ok…I'm here. So what now?"

He watched her for several seconds with a dark unreadable expression. "Come here." He reached out a hand to her.

"Why?"

He smiled at her shyness and then sped over so he was sitting beside her. She jumped slightly but recovered quickly. He chuckled and reached for her hand. She was rigid at first as she didn't know what was coming, but eventually relaxed and let him intertwine their fingers before letting himself fall back against the couch with a contented sigh. Bonnie stayed silent and still for a couple of seconds before turning to look at his upturned face and closed eyes.

"What exactly are we doing?"

He popped one eye open and looked at her with it. "What do you think we're doing?" When she kept her skeptical look he continued. "We're relaxing and enjoying the quiet. Or at least I am and I would love it if you could lose the grouch face and join me."

When her face immediately relaxed he smiled. He looked at her completely. "Just for a few seconds."

She nodded and turned completely to him and tucked her legs against his side while he wrapped his arm around her and she laid her head on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead before lying his cheek on the top of her head and closing his eyes again. They were quiet for a full ten minutes before Bonnie broke the silence. She picked at a piece of lint on his shirt and snuggled a little more into him.

"Damon?"

"Hmmm?"

"Do you still miss her?"

He spoke against her hair, voice muffled, and tired like he was falling asleep. "Who?"

"You know who…"

He finally lifted his cheek from her head and looked down at her and she leaned back to look up at him. "Is this something you really want to talk about?"

"Yes." She said while nodding.

"Ok." He pulled back from her and scooted a few inches away until they weren't touching anymore. She instantly felt cold seep into her bones.

He looked her squarely in the eye. "Once this is out there…once we have this conversation…that's it. There's no going back."

She brought her legs up to her chest and hugged them. "I know."

He nodded and it seemed too heavy for his head. "Ok. Yes, I still miss her."

Bonnie felt her hands go clammy and her heart speed up a little bit. "Do you still love her?"

He cast his eyes down. "I don't know that I could stop."

She turned from him and bit her lip. "What is it…that makes you love her so much?"

He took her hand and pulled it from its grasp around her legs which made her turn back and look at him. "We don't have to do this. We don't have to have this conversation."

"I know but I think we've ignored it for long enough. I want to know. Honestly I've always been curious. What is it?"

"Honestly…I love her for the same reason I hate her…she accepts the monster in me. People have always seen me as the bad guy. The villain who destroys lives but she saw the human still inside and I think at the time she was the only one and the first one to see him…the human. She accepted me when no else would and having her believe in me forced me to be a better version of myself."

Bonnie shook her head and looked down. "Damon, people, including me, saw you as the villain because you were the villain." She lifted her green eyes back up to look at him. "Elena's not some rare breed, she's just a naïve girl who sees the good in everyone right up until the point that they're ripping her throat out."

"And what kind of girl are you?"

"I'm the girl that believes what she's shown. If someone shows you who they are believe them…I actually agree with that. If someone isn't willing to be better and strive to be the hero I'm not going to give them the title because I want them to be the hero."

"Are you saying you don't think I should have ever loved Elena because she didn't care about the real me?"

"No, of course not. You love who you love and whether I agree with the reasons she did care and love you, I'm not going to question it. I'm just saying that you can't decide she's worth loving more than everyone else because she let you be bad and didn't reprimand you for it."

"No…I guess you're right. Can I confess something to you?"

She squeezed his hand. "Of course."

"I've only truly loved three women in my life: my mother, Katherine, and Elena. And I think my mother loving me even when my father pointed out all the bad and dark parts of me is what made me love her so deeply. It's the same reason I loved Katherine and Elena. What does that say about me?"

"From a psychological stand point it says that after your mom died you were seeking someone like her. Do they look like her?"

He laughed a deep dry laugh. "Actually, yes. Pale, long dark hair, big eyes, small nose. Breathtakingly beautiful. And always willing to give me one more chance. How sick is that? I've been dating my mother."

She giggled. "It makes sense actually. She loved you when no one else did and then she died and you just wanted that feeling back. I'm sorry it never went right."

He scooted back over and pulled her flush against him. "Maybe it didn't but it not going right lead me to this so I can only be so upset." They settled into the quiet once more and the next time it was broken it was by Damon. "Bon?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't think that me still loving her and missing her means that we're doomed. We're not. I love her because I don't know how to stop. It's out of my hands. But it's my choice to try with you. I started feeling something for you long before we got here and being here gave me the opportunity to get to know you. It's my choice to care and fall for you and I'm choosing to. I hope you'll choose to continue to try with me…."

"I made my choice a few weeks after we got here and I'm sticking with that choice." She leaned up and kissed his cheek softly. She pulled from him then and stood abruptly and extended her hand. He looked at it quizzically. "Enough of the gushy stuff. Let's go have some fun since I'm wide awake now."

"What are we doing?"

"Baking!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him from the couch.

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"What are you two doing?"

Damon looked up from stirring a bowl of melted chocolate and Bonnie stopped in the middle of braiding dough covered in cinnamon and sugar. Stefan had his arm wrapped around Elena who was yawning openly and rubbing her eyes.

Bonnie smiled broadly. "We're baking!"

Elena yawned again and pushed her hair back. "It's 5 in the morning…"

"And the medal goes to…" Damon said while continuing to stir.

"Why don't you guys join in?"

Elena smiled, sleepily, and walked further into the kitchen to stand beside Bonnie. She laid her head on Bonnie's shoulder and watched as she finished the braid of sweetened bread. Bonnie patted Elena's cheek before picking up the tray and walking away to put it in the oven. She set the timer, picked up her cup of coffee, took Elena's hand and led her to the kitchen table. They set together and watched as Stefan and Damon argued over the amount of espresso powder to add to the melted chocolate.

Elena put her cheek on her upturned hand and stared at Stefan with stars in her eyes. Bonnie nudged her in the rib to get her attention.

"What's up buttercup?"

Elena shook her head with a small smile on her lips. "Nothing. Just thinking about the fact that he's going to be mine forever."

Bonnie turned to look at Stefan sprinkling the espresso into the chocolate and Damon watching intently. "You're really happy, aren't you, Elena?"

Elena smiled broadly. "Of course I am."

Bonnie's brow became a little pinched. "There's no part of you that questions marrying him? No part that thinks it should have been someone else?"

Elena frowned slightly. "Not one part. He's my soulmate Bonnie and yes we have had a lot of issues that have tested our relationship but in the end he's the only one that's ever completed me. We're two halves of a whole and I couldn't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else."

Bonnie grabbed Elena's hand and squeezed. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you. When are you and Damon going to take the big step?"

Bonnie froze and looked up at Damon and Stefan who had gone completely still. Bonnie gave a nervous laugh. "Yeah, Damon, when are we going to take the big step?"

Damon smiled slyly. "When you get on one knee and present me with the right ring. I'm thinking a 4 carat."

Bonnie shook her head and laughed before turning back to Elena. "We're in no rush. But maybe one day." She turned back to Damon who looked confused and she just smiled at him. "Come on let's finish baking and watch a movie!"

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Stefan lifted Elena in his arms before turning back to the couple barely keeping their eyes open on the opposite couch. The two couples had been in the living room watching a Buffy marathon for a couple of hours now but the exhaustion had finally caught up to them. Elena was the first to go. And Stefan had been quickly following behind her so he decided to give up the fight and go back upstairs. He squeezed Elena's soft body to his. "Maybe you two should go lie down too. You both look half dead." With those parting words he walked out of the room with his fiancé's warm body in his arms.

Bonnie yawned into her hand before grabbing her shoes but before she could put on the first one, Damon grabbed her hand to stop her. "What are you doing?"

She sighed. "Damon, I'm exhausted. I need sleep badly but when I wake up I'll text you and we can do something, ok?" She started trying to put her shoe on again but yet again he stopped her and took the shoe from her hand.

"Stay here."

Bonnie stared at him for several seconds. They hadn't shared a bed since their vacation and that was out of circumstance but regardless, she made up her mind quickly. "Ok."

Damon smiled and placed her shoe on the floor and stood before taking her hand and pulling her from the couch. She followed behind him and all she could think about was the lion leading the lamb. He led her into his bedroom and then silently closed the door before leaving her to go in his closet. She stood by the bedroom door fidgeting with the bottom of her shirt as she waited for him to come back out.

When he finally came back out he was only wearing black pajama pants and carrying a black t-shirt in his hand. "You can wear this." He handed it to her and she walked pass him into the bathroom to change. She quickly stripped out of her clothing and pulled his large shirt over her head and then she stopped and stared at herself in the mirror.

"This is probably a stupid choice. A very stupid choice but all you're doing is sleeping beside him, so stop being a baby and get out there." The pep talk helped slightly but she was still nervous. She smiled broadly and wiped her finger over her teeth, ran her hand through her hair several times, and repositioned herself in her bra before opening the bathroom door and walking back into the bedroom.

Damon was already in the bed, his back against two full pillows, while skimming through a large hardback novel. He looked up from the book when he heard the door open and close, and had to swallow hard, at how beautiful Bonnie was in his shirt. The tousled hair, large shirt that hit her at the half way point of her thighs, and exposed creamy legs were a pure sin. She smiled shyly and walked around the bed to the empty side before crawling up onto it and settling beside Damon, against her own overstuffed pillows. Once she was finally comfortable she sighed and turned to find Damon staring at her. "What?"

He shook his head with a small smile on his lips before reaching out and taking her chin in his hand. He leaned in slowly and placed his lips against hers. It was a whisper of a kiss, the flesh barely touching, and it was the sweetest kiss he had ever given her. He pulled back after only a couple of seconds and put his arm around her and pulled her into his chest. She automatically put her head on his chest and intertwined her right leg with his right. She looked at the book in his lap that he had been reading before looking up at him. "What are you reading? Please don't say poetry!"

He chuckled. "You don't like poetry?"

"I love it actually. I just feel like this would be the makings of a cheesy Hallmark movie if you were reading poetry while wrapping me up in your big arms."

The space between his eyes became pinched. "Hallmark?"

She laughed and sat up a little so she could get a better look at him. "Yeah, Hallmark. You know sappy romantic movies where the girl is stuck in a relationship with a guy that is picture perfect but she doesn't really love him. She's just with him because her parents like him. And of course she owns her own business because they always do and it's always something ironic like a store that sells nothing but wedding dresses. And then in a twist of fate another privately owned shop opens up right beside her and the guy that owns it, either sells wedding dresses too or he's a divorce lawyer. Either way they hate each other but by the end of the movie they both realize that they are who they've been looking for all along and they live happily ever after."

Damon's face was nothing but confusion. "And people actually watch this crap?"

She laughed while nodding enthusiastically. "A lot of people! The point is I don't want to be some sappy love story where the guy reads poetry but I wouldn't mind a letter with it in it or you whispering it in my ear like Mr. Big did with Carrie."

His mouth turned up even more. "Who? Hallmark characters?"

"No! They're from Sex and the City. We'll discuss that later because it will be an all-day conversation and I'm tired. And we have gotten way off topic. What are you reading?"

He lifted his arm and she laid back on his chest before his arm encircled her. He put his finger between the pages so he wouldn't lose his place and let the book close so she could see the title on the front. Her skin crawled a little when she saw the title.

"It? You're reading It? Who the hell reads It as a leisure book?"

He just shrugged. "It's beautifully written. Want me to read it to you?"

She gave him a look that could kill. "I hate clowns so definitely not."

He laughed and pecked her nose.

"I'm just going to close my eyes and wait for the exhaustion to take over, while you read your death book. Don't get any ideas!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

Sunlight was beating against her closed lids. She didn't know how long she had been asleep but it had been one of the best naps of her life. She could hear voices from somewhere but they sounded artificial; she knew they were coming from a tv. She turned over onto her back and looked to her right to see an awake Damon in the same position he had been in when she had fallen asleep, though his hair was now tousled letting her know he had gotten some sleep. He was looking intently at the tv and didn't seem to notice she had even woken up.

"What are you watching?"

He jumped slightly and whipped around to look at her. She could barely contain the laugh. "Damon Salvatore, what exactly are you watching because I just scared you and I didn't even think that was possible."

"Ummm, nothing. I'm not watching anything." He said frantically as his hand delved into the sheets and blankets to locate the remote. She stuck her hand beneath the sheet and snatched the remote before he could.

"Not a chance!" She slapped his hand away when he reached for the remote and sat up quickly to see what he was watching. Two lovers were wrapped up in each other, kissing, at what looked like their wedding as their guests stood and cheered. A very familiar logo was in the bottom right corner of the tv. Her mouth fell open in shock before turning to a very ashamed Damon who was looking everywhere but her. "Damon…are you watching Hallmark?"

"I mean…yeah…a little bit." He said in a barely there whisper.

Bonnie threw back her head and laughed.

His face instantly became closed off. "What's so funny?"

She sobered quickly and sat up on her knees to push his arms out of the way before clumsily climbing into his lap. He seemed to be looking right through her. "Hey, actually look at me please." He focused on her. "I'm not making fun of you. It's just hilarious that big, bad vampire Damon is also Hallmark watching in secrecy Damon. It's adorable."

Damon's face shifted and the veins took over as his eyes bled red. "I'm still the big bad vampire."

Bonnie chuckled and patted his cheek. "Sure you are, baby." She pecked his lips and climbed off of him before heading towards his bedroom door.

"Where are you going?" She turned back to answer and found his face smooth and normal again.

"I'm going to go downstairs and grab a bunch of snacks, a soda, and since I like you so much, some blood. And then we're going to have a Hallmark marathon all day."

He shook his head. "That's not necessary."

She smiled sweetly. "I promise not to tell, Stefan."

"Fine. Make sure you grab some hot fries."

She left the room with a big smile on her face.

They were on their third movie and Bonnie was having the time of her life. They were wrapped up in what felt like millions of blankets, had a spread of junk food laid out in front of them on Damon's bed, and had been laughing consistently at the corniness of the movies they had been watching. But the part that Bonnie liked the most was the fact that halfway through the second movie his hand slipped into hers and they had been holding hands the entire time. She was sure that being this content was dangerous, especially because they hadn't been together that long and because he was still in love with Elena but she wasn't going to let it affect today.

Her head was on his shoulder as they watched the couple reciting their vows. "This reminds me of when Elena, and Caroline, and I were younger."

He turned his head a little so he could look at her. "Cuddling and holding hands? Is there something you forgot to mention?"

She laughed lightly. "No. Their wedding reminds me of when we were younger. We used to always play wedding day, Caroline's title by the way."

"Of course…it lacks imagination."

She slapped his thigh while trying to hold back a laugh. "Either way, Caroline was always the bride. No matter how many other things changed, that never did."

"And who was the groom?"

"Me, usually. Sometimes if she was lucky she could convince Matt to play along but he always wanted to change the rules so that usually didn't happen that often."

"That's creepy foreshadowing of their disaster of a relationship. Why were you always the groom?"

She chuckled. "She always claimed that I was serious like a boy." She shrugged. "I wasn't into the whole pretty princess gowns and wedding stuff. I had seen a marriage fall apart and was kind of pessimistic about the happily ever after crap that Disney kept trying to push on us. And since I didn't want to spend all our time playing, trying to plan my future wedding, Caroline claimed I was just like a boy. The point is the cheesiness of this wedding with all the flower petals and pink just reminds me of those days."

"I didn't know you were aware that your parent's marriage wasn't the best….."

She sat up and turned slightly so she could see him, her legs, folded beneath her. "Yeah…they tried to hide it but they didn't really act like a married couple. There wasn't loud fighting and anger all the time…the exact opposite actually. They avoided each other. There was no hand holding, or longing looks, or even small kisses. They lived around each other. And unfortunately for me I had the Gilberts to compare them to so I knew it wasn't normal." She looked away from him and stared at the tv as she made her next comment. "I wasn't shocked when she left him…I was shocked when she left me."

Damon took her hand and squeezed it lightly so she would look back at him. His smile was sweet and uncomfortable. He had never been very good at comforting people and felt like he was failing miserable until she leaned in and kissed his cheek softly. She sat back and suddenly the pain was erased from her face. "It's kind of sad you know?"

"What?"

"The fact that Caroline always played the bride and Elena her bridesmaid and in reality it's the exact opposite."

Damon let out a bark of a laugh. "That was slightly mean Bonnie Bennett."

"Yeah well I have bad influences now." She smiled slyly at him.

A look of pride appeared on his face and he nodded enthusiastically. "Yes you do and don't you forget it."

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

Bonnie blared her horn for the fourth time but it was ignored like the three other attempts.

"I have a strange feeling she's ignoring us."

Bonnie gave a look of duh before reaching to press the horn again but Elena caught her hand. "Let's just give her a minute."

"She's the one who wanted to go shopping for prom dresses in February. Even you have to see how ridiculous that is." Bonnie said while rolling her eyes.

"She likes to plan. I'm not judging. Plus, the added benefit is that it's done in advance and it's one less thing for me to stress over. Speaking of prom, have you talked to Damon about it yet?"

Bonnie let her head fall back against the seat before reaching out to turn up the heat a little bit. She and Elena had been sitting in the car for 20 minutes now in Caroline's driveway while Caroline had a meltdown on the phone with Tyler over the fact that he wasn't positive he really wanted to go to prom.

"Nope. The only reason Damon ever goes to one of these things is if the big bad we're currently fighting is going to be there. But there is currently no big bad so I just have to hope my century and some change boyfriend wants to hang out with a bunch of teenagers…drunk teenagers. I see this going very badly."

"He'll do it though. For you he'll do it. Just talk to him."

"Ok." She smiled at Elena and then heard the front door of the house open and close. The two girls turned to a very mad blonde pixie who didn't say one word as she climbed into the backseat and slammed the door. Elena and Bonnie exchanged looks of uh oh before Bonnie backed out of the driveway to start their shopping day.

They had been shopping in the overpriced boutique for half an hour and Caroline was still silent. Bonnie and Elena had collectively had enough and said so with their eyes after looking at the fifth rack of clothing for the third time without actually looking. They both took deep breaths to ready themselves and both turned on Caroline whose face instantly became cold. She put her hands up to stop them before they could begin. "No, we are not doing this here."

"Care, something is obviously wrong. Just talk to us." Elena said.

"And don't even think about running cause we'll catch you." Bonnie said while giving her best mean look.

"Fine!"

Caroline stomped over to the seats in the little waiting area and sat and Bonnie and Elena sat on opposite sides of her. "Tyler got into college on a scholarship in South Carolina. He's known for a month now because of early admissions and he didn't tell me. He's been avoiding me but I've let it go and then I called him today to let him know about our shopping trip and he drops the news that he doesn't know if going to prom is such a cool idea. I got mad and I freaked out on him about ignoring me recently and he told me everything. And I don't know if we'll make it if he's hours away. We had such a rough beginning with the lies and the werewolf and vampire thing and I don't know if we're strong enough for this." She wiped the tear from her cheek before her two best friends took both of her hands into their own.

"Care?"

Caroline looked to her right to look at Bonnie.

"I think you're creating a bad scenario in your head for a future that hasn't even formed yet. You're already betting against yourself and that's not fair to you or to Tyler. You love him, right?"

"Yes, of course."

Elena picked up right where Bonnie left off. "If you love him then you should give him a chance to prove himself. You should give yourself a chance to prove that you can survive the space. You were one of the biggest supporters of Stefan and I trying to work it out after Klaus and so I'm going to be your biggest supporter. I'm available day or night. The distance becomes too much, you call me."

Bonnie squeezed Caroline's hand. "Or me. Caroline you are the cheerleader of the group, constantly and incessantly cheering us on to go after our deepest desires. We can be your cheerleaders now. You can do the long distance because your heart, as massive as it is, will let you and every time you have a small freak out and you don't want to unload it on Tyler, well then you just call Lena or I…and we mean any time!"

Caroline sniffed and wiped the tears off her face. "I'm so lucky to have you two." Elena and Bonnie smiled and hugged her. They stayed in a tight embrace for a few seconds until Caroline broke it. "Ok. Time to shop! I'm going to make you two look like superstars."

Elena and Bonnie rolled their eyes but laughed and barely put up a fight.

They were out for another hour, choosing dresses and accessories. Bonnie dropped both of them off before heading home. She picked up her phone and dialed Damon's number.

"Hey, I thought talking to you was off limits for the rest of the night because you were out with Elena and Caroline."

She switched it so that he was coming through the speakers in her car, instead of her holding the phone to her ear. "We finished up early which is a first for us. Caroline didn't draw it out because she wanted to talk to Tyler."

"Trouble in paradise?"

"A little trouble but they'll work it out. She just wanted to talk to him in person so she rushed the whole dress shopping thing and I am forever grateful."

"Good, then you can come over."

"Negative. I have a million pounds of homework and my dad is making lasagna tonight. I can't miss it. But we're still on for the movie date tomorrow, right?"

"We are indeed. I'm looking forward to it too. Watching the all powerful Bonnie Bennett cowering from fear is just too exciting."

"I don't think some haunted house is going to affect me that much."

Damon scoffed. "It's Poltergeist…you will be scared, that I can guarantee. And you'll be all alone in a dark house with me because Stefan is staying with Elena. You will jump and scream and I'll be there to protect you."

"Or rip my throat out….."

"Too early in the relationship for that."

She laughed and shook her head. "I have a question for you by the way?"

"And I'm sure I have an answer. Maybe one you won't like but an answer all the same. What's up?"

"So prom is coming up….."

"I am aware of that. Stefan has been practicing his hair for the event in the mirror every morning."

She giggled. "I was wondering what you thought about it? The whole prom thing I mean."

"I think it's an excuse for the school to spend money it doesn't have to throw a party for ungrateful kids who won't appreciate it but will use it to escape their parents clutches so they can pop their cherries early." A frown overtook Bonnie's face as Damon spoke. "With all that being said I also think it's a do over for you to actually enjoy your prom and I want to enjoy it with you which is why I already bought a suit and planned on asking you tomorrow with bells and whistles but true to Bonnie form you didn't give me a chance."

A soft smile settled on her face. "Thank you. It means a lot to me. In our world I was dealing with Silas so the night wasn't very special. I just want to do it right this time. I'm pulling into my driveway now so I have to go but I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes ma'am. Pack an extra pair of undies."

She laughed nervously. "What?"

"Cause you're going to pee on yourself from fright, you naughty girl. Go spend time with your dad. See you tomorrow."

She smiled down at the phone as it clicked off and got out of the car with her dress, excited to show it to her dad.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

She wasn't exactly scared. She was sure that the movie had scary moments but she hadn't exactly been able to pay attention with Damon's fingers skimming back and forth on the sensitive skin right below the button of her jeans. He was propped against the arm of the couch and she was lying back against his chest as his fingers danced against her. He was quiet and oblivious to the inner hell she was going through. He quoted the movie once again as his fingers slipped beneath the top of her panties and began to rub against the exposed skin lightly. She sucked in a deep breath and ordered herself not to move or react to what he was doing. After a couple of seconds he pinched the overly sensitive skin and she jumped and yelped. "What?!"

He chuckled. "Just making sure you didn't fall asleep on me. You're being uncharacteristically quiet tonight. Usually by this point you're worrying the hell out of me with questions."

"Yeah well I'm a little distracted." She turned slightly to look up at him. And he raised a haughty eyebrow in confusion.

"Why? Something happen with your dad before he left?" Her dad had left the house the same time she did to go on a business trip with the misconception that she was staying with Elena for a couple of days.

"What? No. Why would you think that?"

He shrugged and turned back to look at the movie. "You two don't have the best relationship, you know because of the whole witch thing."

She turned back to the tv while lying against his chest again and mumbled. "I think it's more the whole vampire boyfriend thing….."

"Huh?"

"Nothing!" She settled back into a comfortable position and tried once again to pay attention to the movie but almost immediately Damon slipped his fingers beneath her pants once again. She clamped down on his wrist and held him in place. "That! That's why I'm distracted." She sat up quickly and turned to face him with folded arms. He was holding his arms up to signify that he was innocent. "Don't give me that innocent face. You know what you were doing."

"Do I?" He actually looked confused.

"You weren't doing that on purpose?"

"Doing what?"

"That thing with your hand?" She indicated his hands almost angrily.

He sat up a little straighter. "I'm a little lost. I was doing something with my hand?"

"Look you just sit there and I'll sit over here, ok?" She pointed to the other couch before practically running to it and sitting down.

"Yeah…ok." He looked confused but didn't press it. They watched the rest of the movie in silence with the occasional glance from Damon, checking on his slightly unhinged girlfriend.

When it was over he got up and put in another movie, Chucky, but paused it right at the beginning and stared at Bonnie. He sat down and leaned back comfortably before fixing her with a heated look. "Let's try this again…come here."

She got up slowly and sat down beside him. Damon chuckled and laid back against the arm of the chair with a few pillows to prop them up and pulled Bonnie down to lie beside him, her back to his front so she could see the tv. He started the movie and wrapped his arms around her middle bringing her flush with his body. "Get the lights please." The lights snapped off and she sighed and settled into his body more as she watched the scene in the toy store. Damon's face was pressed against the side of her head, his lips lingering on her neck.

"You are doing this on purpose….."

"Uh huh." He said as he nodded and his lips curled up into a smile against the sensitive flesh of her neck. "Relax…I just want a taste." He pressed a soft kiss to her neck and his hand slipped underneath her shirt to rest heavily on her belly. The kisses on her neck began to increase as his fingertips started to brush back and forth against her stomach. She wanted him to do more…to move his mouth from her neck to her mouth or to raise his hands to her breasts or lower but he stayed where he was as though he was content in what was happening.

She was getting impatient. She didn't want to go all the way but she was willing and anxious to go a little further than they had. She wanted what they had started back in the that cabin all those months ago. She placed her hand over top of his that was against her stomach and intertwined their hands and began to move his hand lower toward her jeans as she moaned and pressed her neck against his lips even more. Right before his hand could go beneath her pants he stopped and no matter how hard she tugged at his hand it stayed where it was. She pulled at his wrist one more time before huffing loudly. She turned over to look at him with an annoyed look on her face.

"Why are you doing this?"

He raised an eyebrow in question. "Doing what?"

"Teasing me?!"

He smiled slowly. "I told you that I wouldn't push you to do anything…that if you want something to happen you have to say so." He brushed the back of his fingertips down her cheek. "Do you want this?"

She pulled his hand from her cheek and placed it on her belly and began to push it beneath the top of her jeans while keeping eye contact. "Just a taste…" she whispered.

He nodded and covered her body a little more with his own before putting his face against the exposed skin of her neck once again. He began to kiss her neck softly while flipping open the button on her jeans and slowly zipping down her zipper. His index finger lifted up the edges of her panties and he slid his hand inside. "Just a taste." He whispered back before he parted her lips and gently brushed his fingers down pass her clit, making sure to make contact with it. He then slipped one finger into her, the wetness making it easy. Her breathing increased and so he added another finger and she gasped. He licked up her neck and pulled at her earlobe as he started to pump his fingers in and out of her. Her hands slipped into his hair and she tugged his head up as she whispered 'please.' He looked at her with hungry eyes but his hand never slowed even as his thumb began to tease her clit.

She repeated 'please.'

"What baby?"

She pulled him down by the hair again and reared up as he hit a particularly sensitive spot. She panted out her response. "Kiss me."

He smiled sharply and his lips automatically landed on hers, his tongue slipping into her mouth and brushing softly against the top of her mouth. He now had three fingers inside of her and she could feel the build starting. She stuck her hand down her own pants and placed her hand over top of his as he worked and bit down on his lip until she drew a little bit of blood and then the kissing became ravenous and his fingers began to piston at an impossible rate until eventually she clamped down on his fingers and her back reared up and she coated his fingers. Her moan was strained and her fingers were locked in the tendrils of his hair until her body completed its last shudder. She panted heavily and unlocked her fingers from his scalp as her back slowly made contact with the couch beneath her.

Damon hummed as he removed his hand and licked each finger at leisure before zipping and buttoning her pants and patting the front after he did. He pecked her lips quickly and settled back down into the couch before pulling her in front of him once again so she could lie back on his chest. He went back to the menu and started the movie from the beginning again. He wrapped his arms around her and exhaled loudly. "Love this movie."

Bonnie's face held a look of shock and she shook it off with a giggle. "You are so weird!"

"Huh? Why?" He said distractedly as he watched the movie intently.

"We just did…what we did…and you just went right back to watching the movie like this wasn't a big moment in our relationship."

"I like to appreciate big moments instead of lingering on them with longwinded conversations. It was a big moment, I enjoyed it, you enjoyed it, and now we can enjoy this movie." He kissed the top of her head. "Now pay attention to the movie and start asking me a million questions about it. That's my favorite part."

She laughed. "Fine!" She turned and kissed him quickly on the jaw before lying her head on his chest. "So question…why did that guy teach Chucky the incantation if he was so scared of him? Why volunteer the information in the first place instead of giving him one that would just make him explode or something?"

Damon huffed but a huge smile was on his face. He tightened his arms around her as he began to answer one of her millions of questions of the night.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

"So he's cheating on her?!"

Damon heard Caroline shriek as he closed the front door to his house. He could hear several people in the kitchen. He could hear Elena giggling and it made his stomach tighten slightly and he started to admonish himself for reacting to it until he heard a husky sweet voice answer Caroline.

"He is definitely cheating on her but he's claiming that they aren't technically official."

His chest constricted at her voice and a warm smile graced his mouth. Bonnie could always wash away his thoughts of Elena even unconsciously. Letting go of Elena was hard but having Bonnie was making the process easier than he could have guessed.

"What does that mean?" he heard his brother ask just as he rounded the corner into the kitchen. Stefan was standing over a tall stainless steel pot full of red sauce and adding spices while simultaneously turning down the pot of boiling shells. Caroline was sprinkling mozzarella cheese on garlic bread. Elena and Tyler were sitting at the small table in the corner sipping drinks, wine for Elena and a soda for Tyler as they listened to the conversation. Bonnie was seated on the stool beside Caroline, with her back to the door, as she cut up items for a salad.

Bonnie didn't know Damon was in the doorway so instead of acknowledging him she just answered Stefan. "It means that they never defined the relationship so he feels that he can see as many women as he wants but has a bit of a problem with her seeing other guys."

Tyler sat up a little straighter. "I mean he's my friend and even I think that's a weak ass excuse so he can sleep with a bunch of different girls."

"Maybe I should talk to him…" Caroline said while chewing on her lip and Elena shook her head no.

"What Matt does is his choice. He can't keep blaming his actions on your failed relationship."

Caroline merely nodded. Bonnie rubbed her hand up and down Caroline's back. "She's right." She whispered and kissed Care on the cheek which made Care smile and drop her rebuttal.

Damon decided to finally make his presence known. "What's the big deal that Ken doll can't keep his hands to himself?"

Everyone turned to him and Bonnie shook her head in annoyance. "Everyone please ignore my boyfriend. He continuously has his head up his ass."

He shrugged in agreement before slipping his hand in Bonnie's hair and tugging slightly so he could place his lips on hers. "Hi." He said against her lips.

"Hi." She pecked him again before pulling back. "Where have you been? I text you when I first got here."

Damon walked over and stirred the pot of shells while giving Stefan a pointed look like he should know how to cook pasta better. Stefan chuckled and passed him the oregano and stepped to the side to watch his brother as he seasoned the sauce. Damon had always been the better cook in the family. "I was with Ric. He's freaking out slightly about the whole being a dad thing. So I treated him to a drink and told him he was an idiot to think he wouldn't be a good father. So to answer your question…I was being the best friend ever." He smiled broadly and stirred the sauce as he motioned to Stefan to pass him more spices.

Bonnie rolled her eyes at his arrogance. "Well if you're done competing for the best friend award could we go upstairs and talk?"

Damon looked up quickly and swallowed tightly but nodded. "Of course." He passed the spoon to Stefan and followed Bonnie out. He could feel eyes on them and he took a deep breath that he didn't need. When they got to his bedroom, she let him walk ahead of her and then she closed the door. He crossed his arms and stiffened himself for the conversation.

She went to her bag and took out an envelope but Damon barely noticed. "Take a seat." She motioned to the bed.

Damon shook his head…his face cold and distant. "Just say what you need to say."

She gave him a confused laugh and then burst out laughing. "Damon! I'm not breaking up with you."

His mouth screwed up a little. "You're not?"

"No, dork!" She grabbed his hand and led him to the bed so he could sit down and once he did she handed him the folded up piece of typed paper that she removed from the envelope. She then sat beside him and smiled sweetly while she waited for him to open it up. He raised one haughty eyebrow before turning back to the piece of paper. He unfolded it and scanned the written text.

He looked up at her with a shocked face. "You got into Towson University?"

"Yes." She nodded rapidly and bit on her lip. "Are you mad? Are you upset? How are you feeling about it? And please be honest with me."

"Ok…" He looked down at the piece of paper again. "I'm nervous about the distance but that's the only negative feeling I have."

She took his hand and squeezed until he looked up at her. "The only negative one?"

"Yep. I'm proud of you Bon. It's a great school and you deserve this."

"Really?"

"Really. This place is a second chance and you should do everything you never got the chance to do in our world. And I'll be here when you can get away from the glamourous world of Maryland."

She laughed. "That won't be necessary if you just come with me….." She looked at him sheepishly and waited for the no.

"You want me to come with you?"

"If you want…"

"I want."

She shrieked and threw her body at him, wrapping her body around his and kissing him noisily all over his face before finally pulling away for a breath. "Once prom is over and Elena and Stefan's wedding has happened we can start looking for a place. Orientation isn't until mid-August so we have plenty of time."

He nodded and pulled her in tighter. "Ok. You pick the place and I'll pay the bill."

"No. We should agree on a place."

"Bon, I really don't care. I just care about having a place to shack up and do naughty things to you."

She slapped his shoulder and laughed. "And the mood is over! Let's go eat." She climbed off of his lap and walked to do the door but before she could open it, he was in front of her.

He put both hands on either side of her face and leaned in for a kiss. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." She smiled sweetly and kissed his cheek before taking his hand and leading him downstairs to eat with their friends.

DBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDBDB

"Care just got here and she's already corrected my choice of underwear and bra. My lingerie that only Stefan is going to see, Bon!"

Bonnie started to answer but stopped when she heard Caroline in the background. "That's not what happened. Give me the phone. Elena!" Bonnie heard rustling and then heavy breathing before Caroline spoke. "Bon?"

"Yeah?" Bonnie responded as she packed her small bag to bring with her to change for the prom with her best friends, at Elena's house.

"I did not correct her choice. I just suggested a better alternative. I'm trying to help her!"

"Ha!" Elena said in the background.

"I was! Bonnie can you please come over and look at this choice of hers? I brought all of us teddies. They're cute!"

"They're see-through!" Elena yelled in the background.

Bonnie was laughing harder than she thought she could. "Ok, ok I'm heading over. Give me 15 minutes."

"Hurry!" They both yelled before hanging up.

She chuckled and put her phone in her bag, slung it over her shoulder and placed her bag with her dress in it over her arm. She jogged down the steps and grabbed up her keys and flung the door open and stopped short at the person poised to knock.

"Mom?"

Present Day

"Good morning." Bonnie said as she walked into the kitchen.

Stefan and Caroline were standing at the island. Stefan was scrambling eggs and Caroline was frying bacon. Caroline beamed and walked away from the bacon leaving Stefan to scramble and flip the bacon at the same time with a furrowed brow. Caroline ran up to her and hugged her softly as to not freak her out too much.

"How are you feeling?"

Bonnie smiled slowly. "Ok." She looked around Caroline to Stefan with a worried look before she asked Caroline, in a whispered tone, "Has he come back yet?"

"I haven't seen him but I only came down like 20 minutes ago."

Stefan spoke up as he plated the bacon. "He's outside with Elena, talking."

Bonnie's eyebrows lifted to an impossible height and she felt herself get nauseous instantly. "Why?"

Stefan looked up confused. "I'm not sure. Elena asked to speak with him and he said yes."

"Ok…."

Caroline grabbed her hand and squeezed in reassurance. They were both thinking the same thing…that Damon was going to tell Elena that he and Bonnie were married. Bonnie wasn't positive that she wanted to hide it any longer but she had hoped that he would at least discuss it with her first. "Do you want some coffee?"

Bonnie just nodded and then sat at the island, on the opposite side of Stefan. He plated some food on a plate and put it in front of her and her coffee joined shortly after.

Caroline grabbed her food and sat beside Bonnie as Stefan began to clean up. They all heard the front door slam and then approaching feet and Bonnie looked up in time to see Damon and Elena walking into the kitchen with intertwined hands. Bonnie felt her heart speed up and her breathing increase as she became very confused at what she was looking at.

Stefan cleared his throat to get their attention. "So are you two on again?"

Elena smiled brightly. "We're taking it slow but yeah we're giving it a chance. We love each other so we owe it to each other to at least try."

Bonnie dug her nails into the soft flesh of Caroline's thigh. "That happened fast. We just got back."

Damon stared at her, long and hard. "Yeah well it's for the best." Bonnie felt tears well up in her eyes as he threw her words back at her.

She blinked repeatedly and swallowed hard. "I'm sure it is." She smiled at an overly excited Elena. "I'm not feeling well. I'm going to lie down." She left the kitchen quickly and refused to look at Damon as she did so.


End file.
